


A Speedster in Sunnydale

by Fmfan1980



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-28 06:10:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 147,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7628119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fmfan1980/pseuds/Fmfan1980
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry wanted to change the past after the battle with Zoom. Instead of reaching his past, he finds himself stuck in a place of magic, demons, and vampires. A place that attracts the creatures of darkness, and is guarded by a peppy former cheerleader. Can Barry get back home to Iris, or is he stuck in Sunnydale. AU post S2 finale for Flash, and AU from Blood Ties for BtVS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I will be taking a break for about two months, at the most. There's some real life stuff that I need to take care off that's been weighing me down while writing these stories, and I'd like to get them out of the way (I thought I could do those, and write these stories at the same time; but my other personal stuff has been suffering). The first being writing another draft of a research proposal for admission to a few PhD programs, and the second being learning SAP and Data Management techniques at the local university. I hope you guys understand the need for this break, and I will get back to uploading the newest chapters at the end of the two months. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing. The plots and stories of The Flash belongs to CW and DC. And the plots and stories of Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Mr. Joss Whedon. I'm just playing in the universe that the creators created.

**The West Household, 2100 hours.**

Alone.

That's how Barry 'the Flash' Allen felt as he sat on the steps leading to the front porch of the West home. He looked at the door that had been just closed by the object of his affections, Iris West, and then looked back at the stairs. The both of them had been living together ever since his mother died, and his father was sent to prison. He had a crush on her that he wasn't able to act on just due to the fact that they knew each other too well… and that Iris saw Barry as a brother. However, recently, following the death of her ex, Eddie, things had changed. It was only a few days ago that Iris revealed her feeling for him, feeling which he had reciprocated last night.

It was a night that felt so long ago. Only seconds after telling Iris that they should give a relationship a try, Barry's newest enemy.. the murderous Zoom, also known as Jay Garrick, and whose real name was Hunter Zolomon; kidnapped Henry Allen. Barry chased Zoom to his old family home… where Zoom murdered Henry in cold blood.

So now, Barry lost another parent. And he never felt as alone as he did right now.

Joe West, Iris' father had taken him in after Henry was sent to prison, was essentially Barry's foster father. He had his friends around him; Cisco Ramone and Caitlin Snow.. both brilliant scientists with STAR Labs. They were the best of friends.

But Barry still felt alone.

Iris had just told him that she loved him. That she cared for him, and that they would get through this together. And Barry admitted to her that this heavy toll on him would prevent him from getting into a relationship. Barry knew he loved Iris with all his heart, but he also knew that the loss of both his parents left a gaping hole in his heart. A hole that he was desperate to fill.

With Iris' kiss still lingering on his lips. The young man made a fateful decision. He knew he was going to change the fates of everyone in his life, but the hole in his heart demanded that this had to be done. That he should do what he was thinking because he had the power.

No matter how selfish it seemed.

Barry then stood up and walked down to the front lawn. There, he saw Cisco, Joe, Caitlin, and Iris clicking their glasses together in celebration of a brand new day. They defeated Zoom and sent the Earth-Two version of Harrison Wells and his daughter back to their home. And with them went the real Jay Garrick, a man who was Henry Allen's doppelganger.

As Barry looked at Iris through the window, memories flooded his mind of all the fun they had. But he knew now that Iris loved him too, and he knew in his heart that whatever new timeline would be created because of his actions, Iris would still love him. Barry knew that they were destined to be together.

And they would be together again.

He would have his parents in his life, and Iris in his life as well. The three people he loved would be together. And he wouldn't be left with a hole in his heart.

Whispering a goodbye to the people that he cared about, Barry ran off down the street. A blur with yellow lightning trailing behind him, the Flash was the guardian of Central City; the Fastest Man alive. He ran faster, the tachyon device underneath the lightning emblem on his suit boosting his speed until he was hitting Mach 14. The man broke the sound barrier as he continued to run down the street past several cars, and smiled when a blue-hued tunnel opened in front of him. Barry ran into it, and entered the Speed Force, the very source of his power. He watched his past, present, and future flash by before closing his eyes and concentrated.

He was listening for the screams of himself as a young boy; the night when he ran into the living room in his old house and caught sight of the violent swirls of red and yellow electricity whirling around his screaming mother. The young man focused on that moment in time, but his concentration broke when he heard a growl. Snapping his eyes wide open, Barry gasped when he saw a black figure with red lightning rush past him. However, it wasn't like the Time Wraith that had gone after him the last time he travelled back in time to learn how to run faster from the fake Harrison Wells.

Barry looked over his shoulder while he continued to run, and recognised the horror that was now chasing, and gaining speed, on him. Barry recognised the red accents around the black suit, he recognised the shrivelled face underneath the half torn cowl; he recognised the aftermath of what happened when the Time Wraiths took Zolomon away.

"Zoom!" yelled Barry as he ran faster. It was then he realised that he had run past the time window he was meant to go through. But he couldn't stop. There was a part of him that still feared Zoom, and there was a part of him that hated him for everything he did. But at this moment, it was the fear that won out. Barry kept on running, lighting crackling along his body as he ran in the blue tunnel; the figure in black growling at him as he got closer. It was a few seconds later that Barry felt cold, gloved hands on his shoulder through his suit.

"Flash," hissed Zoom into his ear, "look at what you did to me, you made me what I am now.. a force of nature in the Speed Force. You made me the fastest man alive!"

"No!" Barry screamed. He felt his body's energy being sucked out through Zolomon's hand. Not wanting to die in the Speed Force, Barry screamed in anguish as he pushed himself even more, jerking his shoulder out of Zoom's grip. The young man pushed himself more and more, running faster and faster until he felt as if he was flying. Lighting was crackling around his body at a greater rate of speed than he had ever experienced before. It was then that parts of his uniform started to slowly peel away. First was his sleeve, and then parts of his trousers, and then parts of his top. Barry then felt as if his entire being was being stretched out lengthwise, while Zoom's laughter started getting further and further away.

In disbelief at how fast he seemed to be running, Barry then saw a breach opening up inside the Speed Force itself. Hoping it would be a way to escape Zoom. Barry ran through it, which then immediately closed behind him. It was a minute later that Zoom, the disfigured dark speedster, reached the area where Barry travelled through and screamed in anger.

"You may have approached light speed, Flash!" screamed Zolomon into nothingness, "but I'm still coming after you! There is no time here! Which means I have all the time in the universe to come after you! Run, Flash! Run! I will find you, and I will come for you!"

**Sunnydale, California, 2100 hours.**

What does one do when they discover they're not supposed to exist?

What does one do when they discover that the life they had been living was simply a lie?

These were some of the thoughts that were swimming through Dawn's mind as she trudged past a playground. She wanted to be out of her house, and away from her sister and her mother. At least the people she thought were her sister and her mother. The young brunette had just found out that she was something known as a Key, a mystical energy that was formed into a human being by some monks so that it could be hidden from a mad woman; so that it could be hidden from a hell-god.

To protect her, she was sent to the Slayer, Buffy Summers.

When she found out what she was, Dawn cut her arms and demanded to know from her mother, Joyce, and her sister, Buffy, if the blood was real. She wanted to know if she was real. But contrary to what they had told her, Dawn still felt differently.

The only thing going through her mind after she ran away from home was that she was nothing. She was a walking lie. Walking past the playground with her arms bandaged, and folded over her chest, the young girl looked out at the hospital in the distance and headed there. After taking a few more steps, Dawn heard the sound of distant thunder, and she looked up at the sky. She saw that the night was clear, with a full moon and stars shining in the poke-marked sky. Frowning at there being no clouds, Dawn looked around while her heart raced.

'Maybe this wasn't a good idea,' she thought while turning around and looking behind her on hearing the sound of thunder again. The young woman then felt a gust of wind just before she witnessed a blue-hued breach open several meters in front of her. Knowing that she should be running away - that thanks to the Hellmouth under Sunnydale, this breach could very well mean demons invading the Earth.

And she was right in the middle of it.

'As if sudden breaches out of nowhere mean puppies would be coming out of it,' thought Dawn to herself as she stepped back from the breach. She wondered what Buffy would say, 'probably nothing. I'm nothing to her and mom anyway, and… what the..'

Dawn stopped as she stared with her mouth open as a blur with lightning trailing behind it shot out of the breach, which then immediately closed. She felt a heavy gust of wind that compelled her to take a few quick steps back before she looked at the male figure who had smoke rising off the red suit he was wearing, a suit that had various pieces hanging from it.

'That's something you don't see every day,' thought Dawn to herself as she stood rooted to the ground. There was one part of her mind that was telling her to run back to Buffy, and the other part was saying that she should just run to the hospital while the person in front of her was still panting loudly. She saw him hold onto the metal railings of the merry-go-round while he continued to take in a few more deep breaths. She looked at the hospital in the distance, just beyond the park she was walking through, and then she looked back at the man who was looking at his hands, and then at his arms, and then down his front.

"Umm…" said Dawn while she mentally kicked herself, "hello?"

"Huh?" asked the man as he turned around, and Dawn saw that the front of his suit had tears and strips hanging off. As did the front of his sleeves and pants. The young woman was drawn to his abs before looking up at the lightning emblem on his chest. She then looked up at the cowl over his head, from which some parts were torn apart with tufts of his hair showing through, "oh… hi?"

"HI," replied Dawn as she took a few steps forward while her feet were trembling, "ummm… where did you… I mean.. how did you…? I mean… who are you? What are you?"

"What am I?" he asked in surprise.

'Don't let this be another situation like when I met Kara,' thought Barry to himself while he looked around, and then back at the brunette in front of him, 'no… it can't be. I was aiming for the past… this has to be the past and…'

"What year is this?" asked Barry as he vibrated his vocal chords and spoke in a deep voice. He could see it was something that scared the young woman in front of him as she stumbled back with a gasp, her face twisted in fear. Barry reached out with one hand before asking, in his normal voice, that she had nothing to be afraid of, and that it was important for him to know the year.

"Why?" asked Dawn as she narrowed her eyes at him, "do demons like you…"

"Say what now?" asked a confused Barry who thought he had just heard the word 'demon'. The young man knew that magic existed thanks to what Oliver 'Green Arrow' Queen had faced against Damien Darhk, and their tussle against Vandal Savage to protect Kendra. But Barry still believed that there was a scientific explanation for magic, but demons were new, "did you just say demon? As in….?"

"You know….," said Dawn as she pointed at the spot the breach had opened earlier, "you came out from a portal leading to a demon dimension and.. I mean you're kind of the hottest… and a human looking demon I've seen but.."

"I'm not a demon," countered Barry while shaking his head vigorously and waving his hands, "I'm human and… look, where am I?"

"Sunnydale," said Dawn with her eyes narrowed while wondering how it was that a demon that just popped out of a possible hell dimension didn't know that he was in Sunnydale; the magnet for demons and vampires, "how can a demon like you not know? And… and what was that lightning and…"

"Not a demon," repeated Barry while pointing at himself, "and I run really fast. Anyway, ummm… the year?"

"2001," said Dawn while she stared at Barry confused.

"Thanks," replied Barry as he frowned. He knew he missed his time window, and now he appeared out of the Speed Force a few years late. Barry knew his mother was already dead, and he resolved to prevent that from happening again, 'just one more jump through the Speed Force. If Zolomon chases me, he chases me. I don't know how I beat him just now, but I will beat him again. I'll save my mom… and we'll be a family.'

"Hey," continued Barry as he brought himself out of his thoughts, "thanks for telling me the year, now..." Barry's voice trailed off while he looked around with concern on his face. At the same time, the young woman in front of him stared at him with eyebrows narrowed in confusion. Barry frowned before looking at the brunette in front of him once again, "umm…. Are you alone?"

"That question is just creepy," said Dawn as she took another step back.

Sighing, Barry apologised before saying that he was just worried since she was alone at night, "if you tell me where your house is, I can run you home before I leave again."

"I don't get it," said Dawn with her arms waving, "who are you?"

"A friend who's not going to harm you," Barry replied gently as he looked around, and then saw the hospital in the distance. He then turned back to Dawn before telling her that he really needed to leave and that he'll run her over to the hospital, "you could call your parents from there. I…."

"I don't have any parents or sisters," said Dawn as she looked away.

"Adopted parents?" asked Barry. All the young man wanted to do was get back into the Speed Force, and then travel back in time a few more years so that he could save Nora. But his sense of responsibility was also telling him that he couldn't leave the young woman alone in the park, in the middle of the night. He guessed that she was about fifteen or sixteen, and the protective part of him was screaming for the part that was obsessed with saving his mother to just make sure the girl gets home safely.

Sighing, Barry told the young woman about how he was adopted after his mother died, and his father was wrongfully imprisoned for her murder. He saw the young woman look down at the grass while telling her that he loved his father, and didn't understand why he couldn't be with him, "I didn't want to be with Joe."

"Joe?" asked Dawn as she lifted her head back up.

"The man who adopted me," said Barry, "I'd sometimes run away from his house and try to visit my dad, but Joe was a cop.. and he'd always know where I was. Eventually, I did visit my father in prison and..."

"I don't have a dad or a mom," interrupted Dawn.

"I'm sorry," said Barry as he kneeled down and looked into Dawn's eyes through his cowl, "I didn't have my dad and mom too. My dad told me, when I visited him, that he didn't want me to visit him again. He didn't want me to see him in prison. He told me to stay with Joe, that he'd look after me instead. And Joe did loko after me, and I love him for it. And… and my dad, not Joe, my biological dad died… he was murdered before my eyes."

Dawn looked away from Barry, and down at the green grass that was swaying in the gentle breeze.

"I'm sure you have people who are worried about you," said Barry as he placed his gloved hands on her shoulders, "I don't know if they're your foster parents or legal guardians, but I'm sure they miss you."

"They don't," said Dawn while she looked down at the grass.

"If Joe didn't love me," said Barry as Dawn looked back up at him, "then he wouldn't have come after me every time I ran away. I mean he would have to come after me since he's a cop, but after finding me, he could have said he was tired of what I was doing, and sent me into the foster system. I could have been raised by someone else entirely. But he didn't. He took me in despite the ass that I was. He loved me, and I loved him."

Dawn simply looked around her surroundings and not directly at Barry. At least until he spoke again.

"How about I sit with you until you make up your mind to go home?" said Barry after he figured that he could wait a few hours since he was going to travel back in time again anyway.

"And if I decide not to go home?" asked Dawn as she rested her hands on her hips while staring at Barry.

"Everyone wants to go back home, umm…. Sorry, I don't think I've asked your name," said Barry while he rubbed the back of his head guiltily.

"Dawn, I'm Dawn,"

"Dawn," said Barry, "everyone wants to go home. I bet you that the people who love you will be coming after you."

"They won't," whispered Dawn.

"If I win," said Barry, "you go home and give your foster family another chance."

"And if you lose?" asked Dawn as she looked at Barry with an eyebrow raised. But before Barry could even answer, Dawn spoke up saying that since he seemed to have a secret identity because of his costume, "I want to know your secret identity, and I want a ride. I mean I want to feel what it's like to run fast."

"And then you go home?" asked Barry.

"And then I go home," replied Dawn while she was nodding her head. Barry and Dawn then sat down on different sections of the Merry-go-round in silence, with Dawn occasionally asking him again if he really wasn't a demon, and then asking how fast he could run, what else he could do, and if he really was human; and if he was, then where was he from. Barry just told her that he wasn't a demon, and that the fastest that he had ever gotten up to was Mach 14; something that surprised Dawn. However, he didn't tell her that he was from the future, instead he just told Dawn that he ran all the way here through a portal from Central City.

"Where now?" asked a confused Dawn.

"Central City," said Barry, his eyebrows narrowed in response to the confusion on Dawn's face.

"Never heard of it… but there's a lot of places in this country I haven't heard of, so what do I know," said Dawn shrugging her shoulders.

"Right," replied Barry as they then sat in silence again. It was fifteen minutes later that Dawn and Barry heard two voices getting closer to their location.

"Dawnie!"

"Li'bit…. Dawn!"

"See," replied Barry with a smile on his face as Dawn looked at him, and then she looked over her shoulder at the top of a blonde head. It was then that she felt a gust of wind; Dawn looked back to her left and saw that Barry was gone.

"Dawn!" screamed the blonde as she and a platinum-haired man ran up the footpath, and into the playground where she was seated. Dawn stood up, and was about to tell off the blonde; that everything she and her friends knew was a lie. But before she could say anything, Dawn;s eyes opened wide when the blonde hugged her tight.

"Buffy?" asked Dawn as she felt her sister's grip tighten around her back while they hugged.

"You're real to me, Dawnie," whispered Buffy into her ear. The two of them then parted as Dawn looked into Buffy's eyes while she held on to both of her shoulders, "Dawnie, we share the same blood… Summers blood. You're my sister and, and to me, you're not the Key. I'm not protecting you because you're some mystical thing. I'm protecting you because you're my sister."

"I'm not…"

"You are my sister, Dawnie," repeated Buffy with tears in her eyes as she hugged Dawn again while the man in the black jacket patted Dawn's shoulder.

"Hey, Spike," whispered Dawn.

"You had the Slayer worried," he replied, "got Red and the others out everywhere looking for you."

"Oh," whispered Dawn as she closed her eyes and remembered what Barry had told her.

"To mom and me, to Willow, to Tara, to Xander, to Anya, to Giles, and heaven help me… to Spike," whispered Buffy as she gave Spike a quick glance and then looked away, "the memories we have of you are real. We experienced everything, Dawnie. You are everything to me, you're everything to all of us. We love you. I love you."

"I… I love you too," whispered Dawn as she gently wrapped her arms around Buffy's back, "do you think mom's gonna forgive me for running away?"

"On account of this whole trauma about find out you're the whole Key thing?" asked Buffy as she stepped back and looked at Dawn while stroking the back of her head, "most likely."

"Think I could get a raise on my allowance?" asked a hopeful Dawn.

"Don't push it," said Buffy as she placed her hand around Dawn's shoulders, "let's go home."

As the three of them walked away, Dawn looked back over her left shoulder and looked at a shadow that shifted in the distance behind some trees. And then, there was a blur and a trail of lightning. Dawn smiled before she looked forward with a small smile on her face.

Barry ran as fast as he could out of the city. He ran past people, who only noticed a streak of orange followed by a gust of wind before he passed a sign that said 'Thank you for visiting Sunnydale. Come back soon', and ran out into the open road. He ran faster and faster, until he hit Mach 14. But nothing happened.

There was no fissure that opened into the Speed Force.

Skidding to a stop, Barry looked around confused while wondering what was going on. He knew that he reached the speed to open a doorway into the Speed Force, so it not opening was a concern.

'Maybe I need to go faster,' thought Barry to himself as he ran. He went faster until the device under his emblem released a burst of tachyons into his very being. With lightning crackling all over his body as he ran, Barry screamed out loud as he pushed himself even more.

Still, no fissure opened up.

Barry skidded to a stop again before he turned around and panted hard. He then looked around before taking off in another direction. Barry was nearly at Santa Barbara when he stopped… there were still no fissures into the Speed Force.

"No," thought Barry to himself before he ran back towards Sunnydale, "no, no, no."

Nearly at the city, Barry skidded to a stop again. As he stumbled down onto his knees, Barry took off his cowl and screamed into the night sky. No matter what he did, he couldn't enter the Speed Force… he was stuck on another Earth.

TBC.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**The West Household, ten minutes later.**

It had been a little over ten minutes since Iris waked back into the house. She was holding her drink and talking to Caitlin and Wally, while Joe was talking with Cisco. While Iris was listening to what Caitlin was telling Wally as she explained about Barry becoming the Flash, Iris looked back at the front door as she felt a tug in her chest. She knew how upset Barry was at the loss of his father, and coupled with the murder of his murder, and the fact that two of his mentors… the fake Harrison Wells, or Eobard Thawne, and Hunter Zolomon betrayed him. She knew that it may have been too much for Barry, and that he probably wanted some time to himself.

So she looked away from the door, and laughed at something Caitlin had said. But the tug in her heart kept on pulling, as if it was trying to tell her something. That something was wrong. Excusing herself before heading for the door, Iris opened it and looked out into the empty porch. There was a slight chill in the air while the trees swayed, and the leaves rustled because of the gentle breeze. Iris crossed her arms over her chest to keep herself warm as she stepped out onto the porch, and then sat down on the stairs that led to the front lawn.

'So this is what it's going to be like dating a superhero,' thought Iris as a smile developed on her face, 'it's been a long time coming, Barry. We're destined to be together. Just.. just come home to me.'

It was a few minutes later that Iris, who up to that point was sitting alone on the porch stairs, was joined by Caitlin and the others. With Caitlin handing the young woman a cup of hot Apple Cider, while the others sat on the porch with their legs hanging off the edge, she then sat with Iris together on the stairs.

After an hour of everyone talking about their adventures and heartbreaks that year, followed by a mini-memorial of Henry, Cisco asked the question that was in the back of everyone's minds.

"I guessed that Barry's out somewhere running off his grief," said Cisco while he looked out at the empty street with cars parked on either side, "but hasn't it been a bit too long? Shouldn't we be contacting him or…"

"He just lost his dad, Cisco," frowned Caitlin.

"I know," said Cisco while waving his hands about and saying that he didn't mean it in a criticizing way, "all I'm saying is that even after he's faced the worst days of his life being the Flash, he's always back with us. Talking it over with us. And it's been more than an hour."

"It's going to be alright," said Joe with a bit of uncertainty on his voice as he and Iris looked at each other. He then repeated himself as he turned to Caitlin, and then at Cisco, and Wally.

"Maybe he just wants to be alone?" asked Wally while Cisco and Caitlin looked at each other worried. Except for Wally, everyone on the porch knew Barry well enough that they knew he wouldn't be away from them for this long. At best, he would come back and then grieve in private; that was what they knew was the best part of Barry Allen… that despite how down he got, he would still think of the people who cared about him. He knew enough not to worry them, and not to worry Iris.

That was the thought going through Iris' head. It was the fact that the both of them loved each other. Iris knew in her heart that he wouldn't leave her alone, that he would come back because she was still in the world. Iris knew that no matter how much bleak things would get, Barry would never up and leave.

Everyone looked at each other, the air was suddenly thick with worry. It was then that everyone got up onto their feet and took out their phones. All Wally could do was just looked around at t eh people around him, not knowing what to tell them.

"I'll call Barry," said Joe as he dialled his phone while putting his hand up, signalling everyone to hold off calling the young man. Joe then placed his phone on his ear while looking at Wally, and then at Iris, "maybe Wally's right, and he just wants to be alone."

"The subscriber you have called is out of the calling area?" Joe said to himself as he looked at his phone's screen after hearing the computerized voice, which indicated that Barry could be in an area with no cell phone reception. Joe looked up and around at Cisco, who was looking on worried.

"Maybe Barry just doesn't want to talk to us?" asked Caitlin, "I mean, he ran all the way to Nanda Parbat last year before the whole confrontation with fake Wells, so… maybe he's running over the ocean to an isolated island so that he can be alone with his thoughts?"

However, the sound of uncertainty in Caitlin's voice revealed her worry about not knowing where Barry was at that moment. Iris then asked Caitlin if that was what she really believed, that Barry was somewhere on an island without his friends. Wordlessly, and even though she knew that she could be right, Caitlin… as well as Cisco, shook their heads.

"I can use the STAR Labs satellite to track Barry's suit," said Cisco, who wanted to believe Caitlin, that all Barry wanted to be was alone. But he also knew that Barry would have at least known to call them and say that he just wanted to be left alone for a while before he left the country. It was then that the five of them piled into two cars and headed back to STAR Labs in a hurry.

It would be several minutes later that the group rushed into the Cortex where Cisco sat down behind the main console with Caitlin by his side, both of them typing furiously on their keyboards while Iris, Joe, and Wally stood behind them. Joe looked over at the worried face on his daughter, and placed a hand on her shoulder. The both of them looked at each other, Iris with tears in her eyes, while Joe wordlessly signalled that everything was going to be alright.

"This is no good," whispered a worried Cisco as Joe, Wally, and Iris looked at him. But before they could say anything, Cisco pointed towards Caitlin and asked her if she had anything.

"Nothing," came the reply as the two scientists looked at each other.

"Guys?" asked Joe.

Caitlin and Cisco looked at each other for a few more seconds before turning to face the West family.

"We can't find him," said Caitlin who looked at Iris' distraught face. Before anyone could say anything else, Cisco told the West's that they were trying to get a lock onto the GPS in Barry's suit.

"We're getting nothing," said Cisco, "we'd have a signal even if he was running, we made the GPS chip so that even when he's running super-fast, we could still track him. If he put the suit anywhere… I mean if he went anywhere without the suit, then we'd get a signal that's standing still… but we have nothing."

"What's that mean?" asked Wally.

"It means we don't know where Barry is," said Caitlin as Iris placed a hand over her mouth while releasing a gasp.

"But we'll find him, Iris," said Joe as he gently squeezed her shoulder before pulling her in for a hug, "we'll find him."

With Iris' back to them, Caitlin and Cisco were looking up at Joe and Wally. Caitlin then suggested that they call Felicity, and ask her to task the Palmer Technologies satellite to help in the search for Barry. While Joe nodded his head as Wally comforted his sister, Caitlin and Cisco swivelled their seats back towards the console, but not before looking at each other with worry on their faces.

They knew that if they still couldn't find Barry, then there was a list of other possibilities. But none of those possibilities weren't good at all since it would mean he wasn't on this Earth anymore.

**Sunnydale, California, 2120 hours.**

Barry had tried.

Not once. Not Twice. But multiple times to open a breach into the Speed Force. Panting, he needed to take a break, so he ran all the way to Central City. His hope was that he could get his bearings while trying to decided what to do. One option he had was to confront Eobard Thawne, also known as the fake Harrison Wells, and tell him that he knew the truth about who he was. But Barry also knew that would mean changing the future to one where he may not become the Flash. As he continued to run, Barry thought of all the likely scenarios and then suddenly skidded to a stop with a look of shock on his face.

He was standing outside the city limits of what should have been Central City. But there was no Central City, he was staring at a small town of twenty thousand people as he took a few steps back in shock.

"No, no, no," said Barry as he sped into the city, his yellow lightning trailing behind him while he ran through each street hoping that this was a nightmare. He then ran back to the city limits and stopped. He was shaking his head in disbelief before he turned and zoomed off towards Star City. As he ran, Barry already had a bad feeling in his heart as he recalled what Dawn had told him earlier.

That she never heard of Central City.

Shaking his head, Barry then remembered her telling him that she didn't know every single city in the country… so it was understandable if she hadn't heard about it. After all, the particle accelerator was what put Central City's name into the national consciousness.

The worry that was already gripping his heart squeezed tighter when he skidded to a stop outside the city limits of what should have been Star City. He was looking at the lights of a completely different city as he put his hands on the top of his head in disbelief. It was then he made the frightening realization that he was most likely on another Earth. Barry ran as fast as possible from his current location, and hoped against hope that he was on Kara Danvers' Earth. It had been the result of Kara adding to his speed as the both of them raced that formed the breach through the dimensional barrier p. Kara then flung Barry through, and he got home. While he hadn't told his friends about what happened that day due to the pressures of battling Zoom, he was going to once Zoom was taken care off. But then he brought Zoom back to Earth One, followed by what the media and Cisco dubbed the meta-pocalypse, and then came the murder of Henry Allen, and then the race against Zoom. Because of all of that happening, Barry never mentioned Kara to anyone. He still remembered the spunky blonde, and knew that she would do everything she could to help him get home.

However, it was for the third time that Barry's hopes were dashed. There was no National City.

There was no Central City.

There was no Star City.

"Where am I?" asked Barry to himself before he turned and ran back to where he arrived in this Earth, Sunnydale.

A few minutes later, as he stood in front of the sign that welcomed new visitors to Sunnydale, Barry could only hope that his friends would know that something was wrong. He knew that Cisco and Caitlin would try calling him, and then they would try tracking him using the STAR Labs satellite. And then, if that didn't work, he knew they would use the Palmer Technologies satellite. They would scour the Earth for him.

'Then Cisco would use his powers to contact Earth Two and ask Harry if I'm there,' thought Barry to himself as he looked despondently at the Sunnydale sign, 'and when they find I'm not there, Cisco would be able to find me the same way he found me using my burnt suit when I was stuck in the Speed Force. I just worry about Iris, I hope she understands that I didn't do this to hurt her. I just wanted to… to fill this hole in my heart. I hope… no.. I know she knows that we are destined to be together. We will find ourselves. Just like I know that by tomorrow Cisco would have found me, and we'll figure out a way to increase the flow of tachyons into my suit so that I could break the dimensional barrier on my own.'

In the meantime, Barry knew that he needed a place to hide out. At least until the next day.

'I'm not going to be staying here for long,' thought Barry to himself as he sped into the city and then ran up the side of the tallest building in Sunnydale. He was surprised that while there were people around, it was nowhere the number of people that he thought there would be for a city of thirty eight thousand. Shaking off the questions that he had in his mind. Barry took off his cowl and lay down on the hard floor of the roof. He looked up at the stars, and imagined that Iris was lying down next to him… the both of them looking up at the stars in the cloudless sky.

**Sunnydale, California, 0730 hours.**

With the hot California sun beating down on him, Barry opened his eyes and quickly threw an arm over them. Seeing spots while he closed his eyelids, Barry turned away from the sun and lay on his side. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand before getting up onto his feet, and then looked around. At first, he wondered why he was lying on the roof of a building; all he knew was that he needed to head home, change, and then go to work at the CCPD before meeting Iris.

It was Iris' name that brought a smile to Barry's face, a smile that vanished just as it appeared when the Flash realized where he was.

He was on another Earth far away from Iris, an Earth that had no Central City.

'Cisco hasn't been able to contact me yet?' thought Barry to himself as he walked towards the edge of the roof, and then looked down at the people who were making their way to work. Barry knew that there had to be another way to get of this Earth, that there had to be another way to open a dimensional breach. It was then that Barry bean to wonder as he paced the roof in his suit, 'I opened a breach into the Speed Force. Not a breach into the multi-verse. So how did I…'

Barry then looked up with his eyes wide open. He remembered Zolomon chasing after him, and then he remembered running fast.. faster than he had ever ran before.

'And then that breach opened in the Speed Force,' thought Barry to himself while shaking his head, 'it must have sent me to the past, on another Earth. Great, Barry… just great. Cisco hasn't contacted me yet.. but that doesn't mean that he won't. I need to walk a few steps back, breath in, calm down, and then think of a solution. The places that I know don't seem to exist in this Earth. But how about the people? Do Caitlin and Cisco exist? Does Joe exist? Iris and Wally? Harry? I need to find out.'

Taking a deep breath, Barry then ran down the side of the building and onto the street below. All the people he was running past could see was a blur of lightning, followed by a gust of wind. The young man continued running and he soon passed a store that made him do a double take while he was running. Everything, from Barry's perspective, had slowed down so he did manage to get a good look at the name of the store.

'The Magic Box,' thought Barry as his eyes shifted down to an older man who had the door open, 'must be souvenirs, or something. Or fake crystals balls, and those weird crystals.'

As he dashed past the Magic Box, the old man; Rupert Giles, re-instated Watcher, looked back while he was holding the door open when he felt a gust of wind from behind him. Looking around the surrounding area confused, Giles then shook his head and said that it was just his imagination playing with him. He then walked into the store, and prepared for that mornings business day.

In the meantime, Barry was running past a coffee shop, the Espresso Pump. As he was running by, Barry noticed that someone was using a laptop. Getting an idea in his head, the Flash changed direction, and then ran up the stairs at super speed. He weaved past two young women walking towards him and then onwards to the table where a young man was typing. Barry took the laptop and then ran off. He ran into an alleyway just behind the coffee shop while hearing the young man complaining that his laptop just vanished.

'Sorry', thought Barry to himself as he check the internet connection on the computer, and smiled when he found it still had a strong signal.

He then searched for Caitlin. With this being the age before the advent of Facebook, Barry had to search for information on his friends using other alternatives. And his face fell when there no results of a Caitlin Snow.

He found similar results for Cisco Ramon, Joe West, Iris West, Harrison Wells, Tess Morgan, Oliver Queen, Felicity Smoak. The alternate versions of the people he knew didn't exist on this Earth, and it was then that Barry realized how much trouble he really was in. He couldn't even find the alternate version of himself, his father, or Nora anywhere online. Shaking his head, Barry then cleared his search history before super speeding with the laptop, and then placed it on the table where the owner seemed to be arguing with one of the servers. After placing the laptop on the table, Barry then ran out of there.

'Ok, new plan,' thought Barry to himself as he ran around the city, 'the multiverse has billions, trillions, of alternate Earth's. And it could take Cisco a while to find me. In the meantime, I need to find a place to stay. And I need money. I remember that my Earth's cash didn't work in Kara's Earth, so I doubt that what I have will work here. So I need money, and that means a job. I also need a way to patch up my suit, can't have the Flash running around with strips of the suit hanging off. And I need something to wear as a civilian.'

Barry then ran into a store and took some clothes and a cap before running out. He silently apologized for having to steal the clothes that he had changed into, while he stuffed his suit into a bag that he 'borrowed' from the same store. Barry then flung it over his shoulder, and then ran onto another store, and took a map of the city. After he ran into an alleyway, he walked out of it while looking at the map. He made mental notes of what he needed to do before he could do anything else, at least until Cisco found him.

He had to live in this world.

Barry had been walking for an hour while he took in some of the city before stepping into the U.C. Sunnydale campus. He then made his way to the library with his cap drawn low on his face, to hide it from the security cameras while occasionally vibrating his face so that his face wasn't seen. He knew that he needed to be careful since what he needed to do was going to be risky. The young man found a row of unoccupied computers, and then he selected one that seemed to be facing slightly away from the security cameras.

Taking a seat, Barry looked at the computer screen and then smiled. The young man was already good at computers, and ever since he had seen Cisco and Felicity do their magic, Barry had retained some of that information which he built on by himself, to become an expert. He even had enough expertise to create an algorithm to find Livewire back on Kara's Earth, and he knew he needed to put that same information to use if he was going to have a life, no matter how temporary, in Sunnydale.

First of all, he needed to do some research this particular Earth, so he accessed the internet, and read as much news as he could about every major thing that had happened. Barry then accessed information of the city that he was in, Sunnydale.

And what he saw surprised him.

'For a city of this size,' Barry thought as he skimmed the reports online, 'there are a lot of homicides. This says that it's mostly gang related violence, some occult related gangs, and… is that right? Barbeque fork killers? What the hell? And that many graveyards?'

With a frown on his face, Barry then resolved to check things out at the morgue. He needed to know what was going on as long as he was stuck on this Earth. He then thought to himself that he needed to set up an identity before he went on trying to investigate some of these deaths as the Flash.

"Here we go," whispered Barry as he went on to creating a worm that would surreptitiously infect multiple databases with his identity. As he was typing furiously on the keyboard, Barry thought about the story he had to come up with as a cover, 'born in the year… yeah… that'll be the same since I don't exist on this Earth. My blood type, my Social Security number, my degrees, my occupation, my colleges; some of those would have to be changed. Then I have to input a few more things… and then… and then my name.'

Thanks to the speed at which Barry's mind processed information, the young man managed to complete a highly complex digital worm in under four hours, with him occasionally looking over the screen to make sure that there was no one onto him. Barry then pressed one final button before leaning back on his seat.

'And Barry Allen lives.' Barry thought to himself as he slung his bag over his back while watching the worm being uploaded into the internet. Once it was uploaded, Barry stood up, 'Felicity would be so proud of me. But I have a feeling that Joe would probably ground me.'

Barry then cleared everything off the computer before leaving the library. As he walked down the stairs into the hot, sunny day, Barry turned to his left and continued walking. He looked at all the people around him before he walked past a redhead, a brown haired young man, and two blondes who were walking alongside them . With his cap low over his face, he didn't notice the look that one of them had given him as he walked past.

"Buffy, are you gonna be patrolling to find this speed demon?" asked the redhead who was looking at one of the blondes, "I think I have a spell that'll slow him down before you send him back to whatever demon dimension he came from."

"But… but…" said the other blonde as she looked at Barry walk away into a crowd of people.

"Tara?" asked the redhead who turned and narrowed her eyes, hoping to catch sight of what her girlfriend had seen, "you see something?"

That was a question that Tara couldn't answer as Buffy and Xander looked at her as well. After finding Dawn the previous night at the playground, they had returned to the Summers home. It was there, after the search party returned, that Dawn had told Buffy, Tara, and the others about the mysterious red suited man who ran out of a blue hued breach. While Dawn believed that the man didn't mean them any harm, especially since he seemed to want to protect her, Buffy didn't feel the same way. She reminded Dawn that the only thing they had seen portals open into were hell dimensions.

"Do I have to remind you about Acathla?" asked Buffy. And Dawn was about to say something while holding onto her mother before Buffy sighed at the expression on Dawn's face. She then said that they'll need to find this 'demon' and question him.

Back in the present day, Tara lost sight of the young man whose aura seemed to have yellow lighting crackling along his body. His face was hidden by the shadow caused by the lip of the cap he was wearing, so she hadn't gotten a good look at his face. But Tara could tell that the feeing she got off him when he passed them wasn't that of an evil person.

In fact, under the crackling yellow energy that seemed to travel around his body and aura, Tara felt sadness, loneliness, but there was also warmth. She also saw a mixture of emotions that confused her coming off the young man who had gone out of her sight. However, most importantly, Tara could tell from his aura that the young man was a human.

But then again, she remembered what Dawn had told them. She remembered Buffy chuckling as Dawn told them about the mysterious man in a red suit with a lightning bolt on his chest. That he came through a portal; which made Giles, Buffy, Willow, and Xander believe that it was some sort of human looking demon. It was Willow who added that it could simply be a good demon, with Buffy saying that either way.. they needed to know what it was.

So when Tara saw the yellow lightning crackling on the young man's aura, she wondered if he could be the one who came through the portal. But the young man, at least from what she could tell, wasn't a demon. But there was no proof of that fact.

"Tara?" asked Barry.

"Baby?"

"I.. I just thought I saw someone from home, Willow," lied Tara as she looked at the redhead, and then at the direction the mysterious young man had gone.

"Your family?" asked Buffy as she looked around, as did Willow and Xander, "again?"

"No," said Tara, unsure of what to make of the young man, "ummm… maybe I was just seeing things. So… we… we were taking about Buffy going on patrol?"

As Buffy and Willow started to talk again about the 'demon', Tara occasionally looked back as they continued to walk towards the second exit of the university. They had to meet with Giles at the Magic Box; now they had two things to deal with… the speed demon, and Glory.

**TBC**

 


	3. Chapter 3

**The Espresso Pump, 1500 hours.**

Barry needed a job.

As he looked at the application in his hand while sitting at a table in the Espresso Pump, the young man sighed before leaning forwards to fill in his name and other information. With the digital worm having to take at least a few days to 'create' his life on this Earth, Barry knew that searching for a job that he wanted would take a few days before he could even begin applying. In the meantime, he needed to do something to keep himself busy until he could apply for a position at the M.E's office, or at the Junior High School that was also doubling as the High School after it was destroyed in a bomb blast. A blast that the newspapers referred to as a gas-main explosion. Barry knew that those positions would require that they conduct a background check, and with his background still being built by the worm, those positions would have to wait.

After filling out his application for a job he knew wouldn't require a background check, Barry handed it back to the manager and was then given a quick interview.

Barry Allen; the former CSI, and the current title holder of the Fastest Man Alive, got the job. And he was due to begin training the next morning. As he walked out of the coffee shop with his hands in his pockets, Barry walked down the stairs and sighed. In either case, whether he had a job or not, he was broke. Barry also knew that he needed to get a place to sleep, and then he needed to get some food.

Those were the second things in his mental list. The first being creating his identity. Which was already being done he reminded himself.

He turned to the right with his hands in his pockets and walked down the street. He had his cap on low. In his mind, he was already calculating what he needed, at least temporarily until he had enough money to take care of himself.

'At least I hope it won't be that long,' thought Barry to himself, 'a few days, max. Cisco's going to find me, and then I'm heading home with Iris being my anchor. Yeah…. a few days. In the meantime, for those few days, I need to sleep. So a sleeping bag and a tent, a change of clothes, and then… well, I can't stay on the different roofs in this city. So… camping?'

Barry walked past some trees as he took out the map that was in his pocket and looked at the overview of the city. He was looking at the outskirts, near the dessert, where he suspected that he wouldn't be bothered by anyone… giving him total privacy until he went home… or received a pay check so that he could rent an apartment.

Whichever came first.

As he scanned the map of the city, the young man crossed the street while being aware of his surroundings. It was a few minutes later that Barry placed the map of the city into his pocket while keeping the backpack slung over his shoulder. He glanced at the familiar voice that was coming out of the Magic Box, the very same shop that he was run past earlier that day. It was the same brown haired girl that he had met the previous night when he appeared on this Earth.

Dawn.

He tipped his cap at her, and at the blonde who was holding onto her arm. As the door to the Magic Box closed behind them, Barry caught a glimpse of an older man and a light haired blonde standing behind the counter, and then he saw a redhead walking towards them. And then the door closed shut while Barry walked one way, and Dawn and the blonde walked the other way.

"Do I really have to stay home?" whined Dawn as Barry looked over his shoulder innocuously.

"Yeah, Dawn," replied the blonde, "mom said you're grounded for running away. And until this whole Glory thing is…"

And that's all Barry heard before a car and then a van sped past. He was out of earshot off Buffy and Dawn, and made him wonder if there was anything going on. At the same time, he could help but chuckle at how he imagined Dawn's face must have been when the blonde, who he assumed was Dawn's sister, told her that their mother grounded her. He played back the end of that short conversation in his mind, and he wondered what Buffy meant that Dawn had to stay at home because of Glory.

Shaking his head, Barry continued walking down the street before looking around, making sure that he was the only one. He then ran at superspeed with lightning trailing behind him as he entered a store and 'borrowed' a sleeping bag, and a tent, before heading out of there and into the desert. Once there, Barry sighed before setting up his camp, and then heading back into town and taking more equipment. With his camp now set, Barry only had to wait until the next day before he started work.

He then went to the local superstore, and 'acquired' some food at superspeed before getting out of there.

"Yeah," said Barry as he dropped two basket full of canned food onto the sand right outside were he set up in tent, with sleeping bag inside, and a gas stove to prepare the food. He looked at the canned food, the coffee, and the prepared meals before sighing, "yep… definitely.. I'm a felon. Joe is going to be so proud."

**Sunnydale, two weeks later, 1400 hours.**

Two weeks.

That's how long Barry had spent as a barista behind the counter at the Espresso Pump. He was waiting for a response on the applications he had made in the Sunnydale M.E's office, the Police Department, and the Junior High School that was situated in the edge of the city. In the meantime, he was trying to avoid the advances of one of the female Barista's, a recent hire who was studying Anthropology at U.C. Sunnydale. The young man kept on telling himself that he couldn't be involved in any relationships with people, be they as good friends or even dating.

'Cisco will find me any day, and then I'll be able to go back home.' That's what Barry thought to himself every time Kelly was flirting with him, and only just hinting a few days ago that they should go out for some drinks. However, for right now, the only person in Barry's mind was Iris… and he wasn't going to ruin his chances with her.

'I already did,' thought Barry to himself as he made a Mocha Frappuccino for a redhead he had learnt was called Willow. Placing the cover on the two clear plastic cups, Barry then turned and handed the drinks to Willow before taking her money. The young woman was nearly always at the counter with either a young man that she called Xander, or Dawn… who didn't recognise Barry as the Flash from his voice. Something that relieved Barry.

Barry's interactions with the customers didn't go further than the routine regular retail interactions. But he knew that the longer he remained on this Earth, the more he would have to eventually think about the possibility that it would take Cisco much longer to find him. If he could find him at all given the size and scope of the multiverse. Even when Barry would return to his camp at the dead of night after a patrol throughout the city over the next few days, which as a result the local newspaper started calling him the Red Streak, and then take off the costume he managed to repair. He would shower at the gym, then change into a T-Shirt and sweatpants once he arrived at camp. Before sleeping, he would look up at the stars and whisper a goodbye to the girl he loved; Iris West. He ran through the city, but he never found roving gangs on PCP, or killers waiting in the wings to attack unsuspecting victims. So he would run all the way to Santa Barbara which was less than an hour away… but only a few minutes for Barry. He conducted his patrol there too where he stopped a shooting here and there, a few robberies, and even some bank robberies and murders. He though about staying in Santa Barbara where he felt he'd be more needed, but for some reason.. the longer he stayed out of Sunnydale.. the more uneasy he felt.

It was as if the Speed Force was forcing him back to Sunnydale for an unknown reason. Barry believed that it was because the Speed Force was telling him that Cisco would be looking for him there. But Barry had no evidence to back that up, just a feeling. So he went with his gut, and patrolled Santa Barbara for a few minutes before zipping out and heading to Sunnydale. Eventually, in Santa Barbara he was known as the Red Lightning.

In the meantime, Barry hoped with all his heart that Cisco would find him in Sunnydale soon.

Back in the present day, it was nearly two hours after Willow, Xander, and Dawn arrived and left with six cups of coffee that Barry was getting the coffee order for a blonde, older woman, in a white blouse and grey skirt. He glanced at the bouquet of flowers she was holding in one hand, while she reached into her bag and took out a purse with her other hand.

"Nice flowers," Barry said as she placed the bouquet on the counter and chuckled while she used both her hands to open her purse. Barry looked at the card, and then at the woman "from Brian?"

"Oh," yelped the woman as she looked at the message on the card facing Barry. She quickly turned it away, her face red in embarrassment, while telling him that Brian was her date last night and that he had the bouquet sent to her gallery a few doors down, "I know it's ridiculous… I mean me having a date at my age and… sorry… I don't mean to bother you with this. It's just that it's been a long time since I dated, and when I get home my daughters are probably going to make fun of… ok.. look at me. Sorry…. Ummm…"

The woman glanced over at the name tag on the bemused Barry.

"Sorry, Barry," said Joyce as she looked up at the young man, "just forget everything I've said. I'm… just… just… I mean.. excited."

"It's fine, Miss," said Barry chuckling before he asked for her drink order. At the same time, he was thinking that was what he would do.. what he would have done if it was him carrying the bouquet for Iris. Barry told himself that if he hadn't gone back in time, or at least if he hadn't to go back in time, then he and Iris would have gone for their first official date, 'and I would have sent her flowers to Central City Picture News.'

Barry took her order of a Latte, her name, and then proceeded to make her drink while Kelly and another Barista were taking other orders. Barry glanced over at the blonde woman who was leaning on the counter while looking out at the street, with the hand that was pressed on the counter trembling. He then looked back at the machine just as Kelly stood next to him while making a drink for another customer.

"Barry," whispered the twenty-year old, dark haired, and slightly tanned young woman, "I know you said that you're not looking to date… but…"

"But?" asked Barry as he leaned sideways towards Kelly.

"Well, there's a fair… a cultural fair in two weeks so… if you haven't heard from…" whispered Kelly nervously as she looked at Barry with her blue eyes, "I mean whoever it is you're waiting for, then maybe you and I could go? I mean as two co-workers going, you know?"

"I'll think about it?" asked Barry before he filled the blonde's cup, and then wrote 'Joyce' on the side. He saw Kelly nodding her head, actually surprising Barry with her nervousness, before he turned and handed Joyce the cup of hot Latte. However, as she reached out for it, Barry noticed Joyce's left eye drooping slightly, while the hand reaching out was still trembling.

"Sorry, I think there's something in my eye," said Joyce as she brought back her hand while Barry was still holding onto the cup as she rubbed her eye with the back of her hand. But Barry could see that the eyelid was still drooping slightly. Joyce then sighed before saying that she'll have to go home and check the mirror so that she could get at whatever it was on her eye. Joyce reached out for the cup again, but Barry continued to look at her with concern on his face.

He knew that there were a lot of things that could be causing the older woman's eyelid to droop, and he knew that he did not like any of them. Barry frowned before setting the cup at the side of the register before leaning in, and whispering if Joyce was feeling alright.

"Yes," replied a confused Joyce, "maybe a little tired, but it's probably because I've been so excited about having met this guy that I haven't slept well the while night."

'Of course it doesn't help when my daughter is the Slayer,' thought Joyce to herself before asking for her drink, "and a crazy lady is going after my youngest.'

"Umm… Joyce," said Barry as he reluctantly gave her the cup before asking her to hold on for one second. He looked behind him at Kelly who was now heading back to the cash register to hand a man the drink she just made. Barry looked at Joyce again, at the same time while he was thinking about some articles he had read after becoming a CSI. They were on autopsies on men and women who had died from sudden bursts of blood vessels in the brain. He remembered the symptoms that preceded the bursts thanks to interviews from the deceased's family members, and it was that which had him worried. Barry turned to Kelly again and told her that he was going for lunch, to which the young woman nodded her head. He then walked around the counter, and asked Joyce if he could talk to her, in private.

"I…"

"Please," pleaded Barry. He thought about the deaths of Nora and Henry, and he didn't want Joyce's daughters to grow up without their mother. Barry gave a small smile when Joyce nodded her head, and the both of them walked towards the stairs that led to the pavement out near the street. They passed a few customers who were walking in before stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

"Joyce," whispered Barry as the both of them moved to one side to let more people into the Espresso Pump, "I don't mean to scare you, but… I don't know how to put this delicately, but you need to see a doctor. Right now."

"Wait.. what?" asked Joyce while shaking her head, "I…"

"Your left eyelid is drooping," whispered Barry as he point to his eye, and then to hers, "I saw your hand shaking a few minutes ago, and… and I've read journals were those were the symptoms before a stroke or an aneurysm. I… I mean it could be anything else but… but ll I know is that it's not good."

"Thanks for your…"

"Joyce, I know this is none of my business," said Barry before he explained the reason he was in Sunnydale, at least the cover story he had given Kelly, the two others who work at the Espresso Pump, and the manager, "I came to Sunnydale to find a new life for myself. I used to be a forensic scientist, but the police department I was with suffered cut-backs and.. well, here I am. I may be wrong… I hope I am. But… but you said you have two daughters, right?"

"Yes," replied Joyce as a sense of fear gripped her heart.

"My mom was murdered when I was eleven, and my dad was murdered only a few days ago after I was fired," said Barry as he looked into Joyce's stunned eyes, "so I know what it's like to live through that pain. And I would never wish it on anyone. Ever. So please, let me at least take you to the doctor. There you could call your daughters and… I'm assuming that they're…"

"Bu… Buffy should be with her friends at.. at…" mumbled Joyce while she looked around, and stumbled back just as Barry grabbed both of her arms. She looked back at Barry's eyes, looking for any deception… but she knew that the eyes looking back at her carried a lot of pain.. a lot of pain for a young man to deal with, "I… I…"

"If it's what I hope it's not," said Barry gently, "it could burst at any time. I can call your daughters from the hospital, but let me take you to see a doctor?"

"Sunnydale Mercy, I… I had my tumour take out there," whispered Joy as she turned and headed to her car with Barry by her side. Barry had thought about using his speed, but he was afraid of what the high speed journey would do to Joyce; instead, he told himself that if Joyce was feeling weaker while on the way to the hospital, then he would have no choice but to use his speed

In the end, Barry didn't have to.

He accompanied Joyce to the admissions counter after parking her car. And it was there that the older woman asked the receptionist on the floor that she had her surgery performed that she needed to see her doctor. Barry described the symptoms he had seen to the nurse on duty, whose eyes went wide momentarily before she asked Joyce to take a seat and picked up the phone. Joyce looked at Barry with worry on her face before looking at her arms and mumbling that the bouquet was in the car, and that the heat would probably ruin it. Barry wanted to say something to comfort her, but before he could, the receptionist said that the doctor was on his way. Barry accompanied Joyce, who was trying to be as calm as possible, to a few chairs in the waiting area. It was there that Joyce sat down, a ton of things on her mind, before she felt Barry sitting down on the other seat.

"Oh," said Barry, "I can call your daughters and have them get here… I mean I can pick them up or.."

"My youngest is in school," said Joyce as she looked at the floor, and then at Barry, "my oldest, Buffy, should be with her friends."

Joyce gave Barry two numbers to call; one was her home, and the other was a number to a place she said that Buffy could be hanging out with her friends. Barry memorized the numbers just as a balding man in a white coat and stethoscope around the back of his neck rushed up to them.

"Mrs. Summers?" said the man as Joyce looked up at him, "the nurse told me that… oh."

The doctor rushed to the nurses station and pulled out a wheelchair before telling them to make sure that there was an CT scanner free. Joyce looked at Barry with fear in her eyes as she was helped up to her feet. The doctor didn't tell Joyce anything, instead he told her not to worry that she would be getting the best care possible.

"Barry," said Joyce, "please call Buffy."

"I will, Mrs. Summers."

Barry nodded at the doctor who rushed off with two nurses and Joyce while Barry ran normally to a nearby phone. Sighing that he didn't have his cell phone with him, Barry dialled the first number.. but all he got was an answering machine at the Summers home. He then dialled the second number, and hoped that Buffy would pick up the phone.

**Magic Box, at that same time.**

Buffy had just checked in with Giles, Xander, Willow, Tara, and Anya about the robot called April. She had only just confronted its creator, Warren Mears, who tricked April into attacking Buffy by claiming that she was his girlfriend. April, who was programmed to be Warren's girlfriend left her after he found someone else. April was in his dorm room, and when Warren never came back.. she went looking for him. With no choice but to destroy April, Buffy told Giles and the others that she buried April.

It was something that made every stare at her in bemusement.

"Hey," said Buffy shrugging her shoulders, "at the end she was kinda human, I guess. Anyway, I'm gonna go home and get this stench of oil and dirt off me before…"

It was then that the phone rang, and Giles rushed to the counter to pick it up.

"Magic Box," said Giles as Barry opened his eye wide. Barry had passed that shop many times at night, and he would see glimpses of people staying in there until late. But he never thought anything about it.. he figured that they were really into the occult for the fun of it. Shaking his head, he wondered about the odds of calling the store that he always passed on his patrol being frequented by the daughter of the woman he helped, "how may I help you?"

"Hi.. sorry," said Barry as his mind came back to reality, "is there a Buffy Summers there?"

"Buffy?" asked Giles as Buffy turned towards him, as did the others, "yes, she is… what is this regarding?"

"I need to speak to her, it's urgent."

"One moment," said Giles before holding out the phone for Buffy, "Buffy, it's for you. He said it's urgent."

"This is Buffy," said the blonde after she rushed to the phone.

"Buffy, my name is Barry Allen, I'm a barista at the Espresso Pump and.. well, your mom…"

"Mom?" asked Buffy as her eyes went wide, and then others stood up worried before rushing to her side, "what happened?"

"I saw something strange and… well, she's in the hospital," said Barry, "Sunnydale Mercy, fourth floor, and.."

"I know where it is," said Barry, fear in her voice as Giles rushed around the counter, and leaned over to get his car keys, "I'll.. I'll be right there. Just stay.. please.. I…"

"The doctor took he in for a scan, that's all I know," said Barry. He heard the girl's voice crack over the phone before she said that she was on the way, that she'll need five minutes, "I'll be here."

"Thanks," said Buffy, her heard racing before she put the phone down and Giles grabbed her shoulder, telling her that he'll take her in his car to the hospital.

"I'll come with you and…"

"Stay.. stay and.. and… and find something to.. to beat…" said Buffy as she struggled to speak.

"Anya, Tara, and Xander," said Giles, "stay here. I'll call you once we know something. Willow, come with me and Buffy."

Willow gently held on to Buffy's arm and the three of them rushed to Giles' red BMW, while the others could just hope that everything was alright. They then looked at the crowd of people in the store, and wondered if it be just better to close up.

**Sunnydale Mercy, Eight minutes later.**

Barry was seated in the waiting room when he heard shuffling feet in the hallway, and a familiar voice at the nurses station.

"I'm Buffy Summers, here for Joyce Summers."

Barry looked over his shoulder and looked at Buffy, Willow, and then at the older man he didn't know… but had seen a few times going in, and coming out of the Magic Box. He saw the worried look on the older man, and the redhead who was holding onto the blonde who was demanding to know where Joyce was, and how long she had been gone.

"She is in the CT scanner, Miss Summers," said the nurse whole Barry, whose back was to the nurse, was wondering if it would be better to sneak away. He was afraid that if he did stay, then these people would become close to him.

'It is a possibility,' thought Barry as he looked over his shoulder as the nurse pointed at him after Buffy asked about a Barry Allen who brought her mother into the hospital, 'yeah… great. Just say hello, glad they're here.. and then I'll leave. I can't afford to have friends when I can leave tomorrow, or the end of the week, or.."

"Barry? Barry Allen?" asked Buffy as she walked into the waiting area. Barry rose to his feet as Willow followed Buffy, along with the older man. He looked at Willow, who pointed back at him with a look of recognition on her face.

"You're at the Espresso Pump," said Willow, "I mean you work there… right, you're the one… oh, Barry… right.. sorry. I was trying to place that name and it was between you and that other guy."

"Ralph?" asked Barry.

"I suppose it is up to me to introduce ourselves," said the older man as he extended his hand to Barry, "Rupert Giles."

"Mr. Giles," said Barry, and then pointed at Willow, "Willow."

"Hi," waved the redhead.

"Buffy… that's me," said the blonde as Barry smiled and nodded his head, "you brought mom here?"

"Oh, drove her car," said Barry as he took the keys out and handed it to the blonde in front of him.

"How did you know something was wrong?" asked Buffy.

"It's my job to keep an eye on details," said Barry, "I used to be… I mean I am a forensic scientist.. I mean I'm currently between jobs so… yeah. I notice little things."

"Well it is thankful that…"

Before Giles would finished what he wanted to say, the doctor who had been treating Joyce walked into the waiting room. When he saw Buffy, he walked towards her while Buffy and Giles headed towards him. Willow and Barry stayed back, with the redhead asking if he really was a forensic scientist.

"Yep," replied Barry before giving her the cover story. Nodding her head, she wished Barry luck just as a worried Buffy and Giles rushed back to Willow and Barry. The young man looked on as the doctor rushed off before turning to Buffy who told them that there was a bulge in one of the arteries in her brain, and that it could burst at anytime.

"The doctor said they're going to operate immediately," said Buffy as Willow hugged Buffy, who was staring at Barry with tears in her eyes whispering 'thank you'. Barry simply nodded his head while Buffy sniffled as Giles placed a hand on her shoulder. Buffy stepped back before saying that Joyce wanted to see them before being taken in for emergency surgery, for with she was being prepared.

"I should be heading back," said Barry, "and this is a family thing so… you should see your mom."

"Buffy," said Giles, "there's not much time."

"Thank you," whispered Buffy in a broken voice before she rushed off with Giles and Willow, the redhead looking back at Barry. She saw the pain in his eyes as he watched them run into the hallway that led to the room that Joyce was in. She pushed it out of her mind, and kept on hurrying behind Buffy and Giles. In the meantime, Barry silently wished Buffy and Joyce good luck before she headed for the exit. Once he was in the stairwell and out of camera range, Barry ran at superspeed out of the hospital, and to the alleyway next to the Espresso pump before starting his job as a barista again.

The entire time he was working, Joyce and Buffy were in his mind.. as was Dawn. He didn't know if he managed to save a life, but it felt good that either way Buffy and Dawn were able to be there for their mother. As he continued work with an hour left, Barry decided to check in on Joyce.. make sure that she was alright.

And that's it.

'Can't get too close to these people. I just can't, I shouldn't', thought Barry to himself.

TBC.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Sunnydale Mercy, five minutes later.**

Buffy, Willow, and Giles greeted Joyce who, after a few words, had been tearing up while comforting her daughter; telling her not to worry. The doctor had told them that there was a bulge in an artery in her brain and that it could burst at any moment. He said that they had to perform emergency surgery to drain the bulge and that Joyce would have to be put on medication for the foreseeable future.

"This was a possible side-effect of removing the tumour," added the doctor as Joyce, who Buffy was holding on tight to, nodded her head.

"That's what you said," replied Joyce with a broken voice before she coughed to clear her throat as two nurses rushed into the room and attached some lines through the skin on the older blonde's hand. Buffy was asked to step back, that they needed to take Joyce into surgery at that moment. Joyce tightened her hold on Buffy's hand as she kissed her mother's forehead. Joyce then released Buffy, and was rolled out of the room while Giles patted her shoulder, and Willow wished her good luck.

"We'll be right here, Joyce," said Giles as they followed the nurses and doctor pushing the bed towards a door that said 'Operating Suites - Authorised Personnel Only'. Joyce smiled at them as she was pushed in through the doors, but not before asking them to thank Barry, and that she would see them soon. The three of the Scoobies stood waving as the doors closed just as Joyce's bed was turned into a corner. Buffy held her arms around her chest, trying not to cry because of the added trauma of her mother possibly dying, coupled with the fact that Glory was still out there. Joyce was Buffy's rock.. her and Dawn's.

And they needed her. The both of them needed her.

Buffy felt arms around her shoulder and looked at Willow who then rested her chin on teh Slayer's shoulder. The redhead was telling Buffy that everything was going to be alright, that Joyce seemed to have been brought to the hospital in time.

"But what if she wasn't?" whispered Buffy.

"She's going to be taken care of here, Buffy," added Giles as he looked at the girl who he thought of as his own daughter. He placed his hand on her shoulder before asking Willow to accompany her to the waiting room, "I'll call Xander, Tara, and Anya. Have them close the Magic Box and meet us here."

"What about Dawn?" asked Willow as they turned away from the door that led to the operating suites, "Buffy?"

"She… She should be off from school and… and…" mumbled a dazed Buffy as she imagined coming home to a dead Joyce, or getting a call from the police saying that Joyce was in an accident when the bulge ruptured. Buffy shivered slightly at the thought of losing her mother. She looked at Giles and saw his lips were moving, and he was speaking very slowly and softly… it was almost as if he was very far away. All she could make out were the words 'Dawn', and 'pick' before she felt someone shaking her shoulder. Crashing back to reality, Buffy shook her head and turned to face a worried Giles before asking, "did you say something?"

"I said I'll pick up Dawn, you…"

"A family member has to pick her up from school early," mumbled Buffy, "I… I can't leave, and…"

"She's getting off school in an hour," said Willow looking at the clock they just passed on the way to the waiting room, "maybe we… oh, he's gone."

"Who?" mumbled Buffy as she looked around, and then remembered Barry. She didn't see him anywhere, "oh, Barry's gone. I should thank him."

"First of all, take a seat, Buffy," said Giles as Willow helped Buffy take a seat while Giles wondered why Barry didn't stay. Shaking his head, the older man remembered that the young man was working at the Espresso Pump, and so believed that he had to go back to work. Giles then turned back to Willow and Buffy before telling them that he would go and make the call.

It would be nearly thirty minutes later that Tara, Xander, and Anya rushed into the waiting room. Tara was the first to hug Buffy who stood up, her eyes red from unshed tears. This was followed by a hug from Xander while Anya asked if they had heard anything yet on Joyce's condition. Buffy shook her head, saying that there was nothing and that she didn't know if that was a bad sign.

"You can't think like that, Buff," said Xander. He tried to think of a joke or a sarcastic comment to lift the mood but found that he couldn't. All he could do was stay silent, something he was uncomfortable with as he stood with Anya who was holding to his arm tightly.

The six Scoobies soon whittled down to four when Giles and Xander left to pick up Dawn from school, remained in the waiting room in worry, anxiously waiting to hear any news. The Scoobies had no words to say to each other, and Anya didn't want to say anything since she didn't really know what to say, so everyone remained in silence. A silence that was broken when Dawn rushed in with tears in her eyes and hugged her older sister. They held onto each other without any words between them. It was a few minutes later that the two of them held hands while waiting for news on Joyce's operation, everyone was quiet… with Xander and Giles pacing the floor, and Dawn lying her head on Buffy's shoulder.

It had been nearly an hour and a half after Joyce was taken into the surgical suite that the doctor, in his surgical gown, walked towards the waiting room. Tara noticed the man before calling for Buffy, who was looking at the floor while taking a seat. The Slayer and her sister quickly got up, and headed for the doctor, with Giles accompanying them. The rest stayed behind and watched as the doctor motioned towards another area of the waiting room, but Buffy shook her head while holding on tight to her sister.

They watched; Tara holding onto Willow, and Anya to Xander, while the doctor was speaking when suddenly Buffy put her hand to her mouth and realised a sob. Willow and the others expected the worst, when suddenly, Dawn yelped and hugged the doctor while Buffy hugged Giles, and then Dawn. Giles wiped his eyes and motioned to Willow and the others while Buffy hugged the doctor.

As Tara and the others walked got closer, they heard Buffy asking if Joyce was really going to be alright. They listened to the doctor, once again, telling Buffy and Dawn that they drained the blood and took out a blood clot before telling Buffy that Joyce would have to be on blood thinners for the foreseeable future. The doctor reassured everyone that Joyce was going to be alright, and that she was going to be in the hospital for a few days for observation, just to be on the safe side.

Buffy and Dawn thanked the doctor profusely before he left, at which time Buffy made a mental note to go by the Espresso Pump and thanking Barry before she went home to grab some things for herself and Dawn. She knew that there was no way that they were leaving Joyce alone in the hospital, and the truth was that after the incident with Spike and Drusilla, she didn't want to be home much. At least not by herself, especially when her body shook in disgust at the memory of the alter that Spike had in his lair, an alter for her. So even though Spike's invitation to the Summers house was revolved, and Spike could not freely come into the Summers home, Buffy was staying in the hospital with Dawn and her mother.

**Espresso Pump, 1930 hours.**

With their replacements reporting for barista duty, Barry and Kelly signed out and then left the confines of the Espresso Pump Barry, with his back pack containing his uniform over his shoulder walked down the stairs to the pavement near the street with Kelly. He wanted to check in on Joyce, make sure that she was doing alright, and then leave them be. Barry reminded himself that he couldn't make any attachments, and it was just then that Kelly gently brushed his arm before asking if he'd like to go out for a drink.

"I know what you're going to say," said the young woman, "but…"

"Sorry," said Barry nervously. The only person he was thinking of at that moment was Iris, and she was all that mattered. He had every bit of confidence that Cisco would be coming to get him any day now, he needed to try and keep away from making any attachments, "Kelly, I… I mean… the girl I told you about, she's supposed to be coming by in a few days, and…"

"Thought I'd ask again, Barry," said Kelly with a sad smile on her face. And then, almost instantly she perked up and leaned forward, "well, there's the cultural fair. How about this? You don't hear from your girl in two weeks, the both of us go to the fair… just as friends. No strings attached."

Barry knew she had asked this same question earlier in the day, and he couldn't help but admire her tenacity.

"Sure," replied Barry nodding his head, "the fair it could be, then."

"Cool," replied the chipper young woman before motioning to her car, "you need a ride, or…"

"I need to visit a friend at the hospital," said Barry before he took a step back, "see you tomorrow?"

"Bright an early, Barry," said Kelly before the both of them went their separate ways. It was after Barry had walked onto another street that he ran at super speed, with lightning trailing behind, to the hospital. Arriving at the lobby, he was met with a sight he thought he'd never see… there were two nurses, a security guard, and a doctor who was subduing a man wearing a bath robe while screaming incoherently with eyes that seemed to be looking off into nothingness. Barry looked on as the two male nursed held onto the arms of the struggling man while everyone else in the lobby was staying away from them. Seeing that the man was unarmed, Barry continued to watch as two more security guards joined in and forced the man on the gurney. The speedster was listening to the man saying things that made no absolute sense while his arms were being tied down.

"Get him to the wing on the fourth floor, the fifth and sixth floor are already at capacity," said the doctor as the gurney was pushed into the hallway. The doctor then apologized for the people in the lobby for the commotion before he ran behind the nurses and the guards. Barry knew he was heading that way as well, so he flowed them and took the second open elevator. Getting off the fourth floor, he listened to the man speaking in incoherent sentences as he and the others got off the other elevator. He followed them as they turned left at the landing, and then headed for the hallway. They took a left turn into the adjoined hallway, away from the waiting room and the nurses station. Barry was about take a right turn when he saw Buffy and Dawn coming out of another hallway to the left with two cups in their hands.

They hadn't seen Barry yet, the both of them were laughing at something the other had said. Barry was about to speed back into the elevator landing and then hide in the emergency exit until they were gone, but there was something that surprised him. The man in the bath robe continued to talk, and then, just as the gurney passed Dawn.. he reached out and grabbed the young girl's arm.

"It's you," he said as Barry watched Dawn swing her head at the man while she dropped her cup of hot liquid onto the floor. At the same time, Buffy caught a glimpse of Barry, before turning to the man who grabbed a hold of Dawn's arm as she gave a yelp, "I see you… you're empty…. So empty."

"Ben!" yelled Buffy as she grabbed the deluded man's hand and pulled it off Dawn, and then Buffy physically pushed her sister away. Barry knew there was something very wrong for the look if fear on Dawn's face, to the way that Buffy held the larger man's arm down with one hand. He saw the security guards holding him down as he started thrashing on the bed, while the nurses prepared some syringes. All the while the man kept on staring at Dawn, who was leaning on the wall… staring at the man stunned.

"Not empty," said the man as Barry stopped walking. The man seemed to have a moment of clarity as he pointed straight at Dawn. Barry caught a glimpse of Buffy turning to look at him, before looking away at the insane man who continued, "I see it… so bright. Bright green energy… oh, wow, I…"

"Good night," Ben said as he injected the man with a liquid. The man then closed his eyes, his face still carrying a wide grin before Ben apologized to Buffy. He then took the man away as Buffy nodded her head before immediately heading for her sister, who was continuing to stare at the insane man before turning to Buffy.

"You ok?" whispered Buffy.

"Yea," whispered Dawn when she noticed Barry standing nearby from the corner of her eyes. She nodded her head sideways, and then Buffy perked up before waving at Barry who couldn't help but notice Ben looking at Buffy and Dawn with what could only be described as fear etched on his face.

'Or Maybe I'm just seeing things,' thought Barry to himself.

"Hey," said Buffy as she and Dawn walked towards him, the young girl still shaken by the encounter, "a lot of insane people this time of year, and… yeah… anyway. Barry Allen… this is my sister, Dawn."

Barry waved at Dawn while Buffy told her that he was the one who brought Joyce to the hospital.

"Thanks," exclaimed Dawn before she hugged Barry, "mom said you saved her life."

"I didn't do much," said Barry as Dawn stepped back to Buffy's side, "I just wanted to see if she was alright, and…"

"Leave?" asked Buffy with an eyebrow raised.

"Sorry about earlier," said Barry rubbing the back of his head while wondering what had just happened, "I had to go back to work and your mom seemed to be in good hands. So I take it that…"

"She woke up an hour ago," said Dawn.

"So," said Buffy, "instead of just running away, maybe you could just say hi? I mean she said she wants to come by the Espresso Pump when she gets out of here, and… well… since you're here."

"This should be a family thing," said Barry putting his hands up, "but I'm glad she's alright. I guess I should get…"

"Come on," said Dawn as she grabbed Barry's arm and while he was pointing towards the exit, and pulled him along. Barry followed behind the young woman while looking back at Buffy who was looking over her shoulder at the place that the gurney had been pushed to. She was about to look back to the front, leading Barry to look forward at Dawn, who was still grabbing onto her arm.

"Dawn," said Buffy as she held onto the arm that was, itself, holding on to Barry, "let go of the poor guy. He's already coming with us."

"Right, sorry," said Dawn as the walked down another hallway to an open door from which Barry heard the voice of a familiar redhead, followed by a Brit, and then he thought he heard Xander's voice. It was Dawn who walked into the room, followed by Buffy as Barry stepped to one side before staying in the hallway.

"Oh, Barry," said Giles as he stood up as he watched the man stand up and fix his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He then saw Xander look at him with furrowed eyebrow as if wondering where they had seen each other before.

Willow then rolled her eyes before nudging Xander with her elbow, "from the Espresso Pump? Mocha fraps?"

"Right," said Xander pointing his finger at Barry, "sorry, but I kinda forgot your name."

"Obviously Barry something," said Anya. Buffy shook his head before introducing Anya, and Xander. It was then that Barry looked at the confused looking girl who was looking back at him. She was a blonde young woman wearing an orange shirt and a long skirt, and when Buffy introduced her to Barry… she shook her head before looking down at the floor, her blonde hair covering her eyes slightly. Thinking it a bit strange, Barry then stepped into the room to smile at Joyce who had a patch of shaved head covered with a bandage.

"Hi, Mrs. Summers," said Barry with a smile and nod. He would occasionally glance at the blonde girl, Tara, who would look away again. Confused, Barry decided not to think of it at all while standing with his hands in his pockets, "good to see you're doing better."

"The bulge was about to burst," said Joyce as she lifted the sides of her lips into a soft smile aimed at Barry while Buffy held Dawn's hand, "could have been an aneurysm, Barry."

"I just see things," replied Barry, "I mean it's my job… so… yeah. I'm glad that you're doing well."

"So… so…" said Tara as she looked through her hair, "are you from around here?"

Tara saw lighting coursing through Barry's aura and was surprised to find that he was telling the truth when he mentioned that he was from somewhere far away, although he never mentioned where.. and the others hadn't pushed him on that particular point. She also sensed a bit of sadness before he started talking about the reason he was in Sunnydale. The blonde witch knew that his story was a lie, but there was something else that was emanating from him that told her he wasn't here to harm anyone. Tara felt hope coming off him as he talked about someday soon going back home, especially if he doesn't find a job here.

"I've got to go," said Barry as he took a step forward. It was almost immediately that Joyce asked the young man to stay, that they could have some dinner.

"I really should get going," insisted Barry who glanced at the odd look from Tara, and then at Joyce, "thanks, Mrs. Summers. I'm really glad that you're alright."

"Again, I have to thank you for this," replied Joyce as she pointed at the bandaged spot on her head, "the doctor said I can leave in a few days, at least let me make dinner for you."

"A welcome home party," said Dawn with a grin while Joyce stroked the back of her head. Barry knew that Joyce would keep asking if he kept on saying no, so all he could do was nod his head before telling the group that he had to get going since he was working the morning shift tomorrow. Waving his hand, Barry took his leave, and as he left, Barry heard the conversation from the group turn to Joyce.

'Just be forgettable, Allen,' thought Barry to himself as he walked into the elevator landing and then super-sped down the stairs, and out the hospital. In the meantime, Tara was holding onto Willow's hand while they were chatting with Joyce about the next steps that she should be taking.. with Buffy suggesting a holiday for her and Dawn; at least until Glory was taken care off. The whole time, Tara was wondering about the yellow lighting that was crackling along Barry's aura. It was something she hadn't seen before, but it didn't scare her… it didn't really scare her the first time she had seen it on-campus; and it was then Tara realised that the man she, Buffy, Willow, and Xander passed by two weeks ago was Barry.

However, Tara felt that he wasn't a danger… she could feel it, and see it from his aura. But she was curious about why he had lied to them. Shaking her head before smiling at Willow, who suggested that they stay at the Summers house to help out while Joyce remained in the hospital.

"You don't have to," said Joyce.

"We could have a slumber party," said Anya as everyone looked at her, "I mean, that is the custom where we young and nubile women strip down to our bare essentials and fight with pillows. Right?"

"No," said Willow, Tara, and Buffy.

They then turned to Xander, who was slowly putting his hand up in the air, and said, "Can I join in?"

**Two weeks later, the Sunnydale Cultural Fair, 1400 hours.**

It had been two weeks since Barry saved Joyce's life, and a few days later.. after being released from the hospital, Barry was invited to the Summers home for dinner. He had enjoyed a home cooked meal after two weeks of eaten heated up canned food in his camp at the Sunnydale desert. But that was the last time he would return to the Summers house, and not because he wasn't invited. He still saw Willow, Xander, and Dawn at the Espresso Pump every day and they would chat while he made their drinks, with Buffy sometimes coming by with the group; but when it came to hanging out with them, he would always decline, saying that he had to search for better work.. or that he was tired.

Barry did everything he could to avoid making a connection with people, and a part of him started to hate doing it. By the time of the Cultural Fair, it had already been a month in Sunnydale, and Cisco still was not able to find him. The scarlet speedster really didn't know what to do. He knew that Cisco was able to find him in the Speed Force and that itself was no easy feat, so Barry couldn't understand why his best friend wasn't able to find him on another Earth.

So Barry did something unexpected that surprised even him. The day before the Cultural Fair, Barry said 'yes' to Kelly.

Barry had agreed with Kelly that he would meet her at the Cultural Fair the next day. They had checked out the map of the fair on the internet and made plans to meet at the entrance to the Fair. When the day finally came, Barry was near the entrance sitting on a barrel that was part of a display as he waited for Kelly to meet him. It had already been five minutes past one in the afternoon when he looked up from his wrist watch and saw Willow, Tara, and Dawn heading towards him.

"You made it," said Dawn as she stood in between Willow and Tara.

"Just waiting for a friend," said Barry before nodding at the Fair, and then looking back at the three young women, "so... this Fair happens every year?"

"Yeah," said Willow nodding her head, "and well… Tara hasn't been here yet, and Dawn… well… they have some really good cotton candy. Plus, I hear the acts they're putting on this year are kinda explosive."

"Calm down, Will," said Tara chuckling before she turned to Barry and the lightning on his aura. It was then that she noticed the bag slung over his back, and was about to ask a question but Dawn beat her to it.

"Oh," said Barry pointing at the bag, "it's my last day at the Espresso Pump, and well… I decided to take some coffee. And I went down to the library to get some books for ideas on coming up with some cool experiments that kids could do at the Junior High."

"Huh?" asked Dawn.

"Oh, I'm going to be a science teacher," said Barry as Dawn smirked, "I start next week."

"Dawn, goes to that school," said Willow as Dawn grinned proudly.

"What are you teaching?" asked Tara.

"Physics and Chemistry," said Barry, "apparently there's a lot of openings for teachers. People don't stay long in this town huh?"

"Sunnydale has its moments," said Willow while thinking of all the near apocalypses that occurred over the years.

It was a few minutes later that Tara, Willow and Dawn headed into the Fair while Barry said that he'll wait outside for Kelly. The young man nodded his head when, just before leaving, Tara invited him to join the three of them at the Fair… and Barry, against his better judgement, nodded 'yes'.

It was fifteen minutes later that Tara, Willow, and Dawn were heading for the Japanese face painting booth with soft-serve ice cream cones in their hands. The three of them were laughing when suddenly, both Willow and Tara felt a hand on their shoulders.

"Hey Barry," Willow was about to finish what she wanted to say as she and Tara laughed while turning around. Their laughter immediately stopped when the figure whom the hands belonged to, took them off Willow and Tara's shoulders and placed them by her side. Dawn, noticing the lack of laughter from her two companions, turned and gave a small scream when she stared at Glory looking at her, and then at Willow, and finally at Tara.

Willow and Tara took a few steps back until they were by Dawn's side, with the blonde witch grabbing the young girl's hand. Dawn and Tara looked at one another, and then at Willow just as Glory stepped forward and smiled. She told them that she could rip their spines out if they even took one more step back.

"Guess what?" asked Glory as she gave the three girls a maniacal grin as she tilted her head, "a little birdie heard from another little birdie that the Key was turned into an innocent."

Willow and Tara looked at each other, while the hands that Dawn was holding onto the both of the girls with was trembling in fear. Glory proudly told them that since the Key was made into a human being and placed under the Slayer's care, then it was only logical that it would be anyone of the people around her.

"And I asked my drones to search for the newest one in your little group," said Glory before she slowly turned her head towards a stunned Tara while rubbing her hands together, "hello my shiny little Key."

"No," whispered Dawn as Tara pushed the little girl behind her.

"The Red Streak will come after you.. and so will my sister, and…"

"Don't beg now," said Glory as she glanced at Dawn, and then at Willow, and then licked her lips at Tara, "I've read up on the Streak thing.. and it's just a human being. If it was a god, then it would come after me. So, guess what? I'm the only god in town, folks. Now? Red and the pipsqueak can run… or I feed on the both of you and then I take the blondie away."

"No!" yelled Willow as she and Tara grabbed each other's hands and pushed Glory back with magic. She was flung into a hotdog cart before the three young women ran towards the entrance, away from Glory. Meanwhile, the woman in red got up off the ground and flung the man who was helping her get onto her feet into another cart, while a police officer who had witnessed what happened rushed over and ordered Glory to get down on her knees and raise her hands. Seeing over the officer's shoulder at her prey escaping, Glory looked back at the officer and then rushed towards him and sucked his brain dry. People started to scream and run in all directions when Glory slammed the officer into other innocents before running at super speed towards Tara, Willow, and Dawn.

She stopped in front of them as more screaming men, women, and children passed by while Glory glared at Tara, and then at Dawn, and Willow.

"Can't have that happen again," said Gory as she dashed towards Willow at super speed, and before they could use a spell, Glory pushed Willow away. Tara and Dawn screamed as Willow landed on the ground hard before Glory rushed up to Dawn, and gave her a backhanded slap to her face. Dawn fell on the grass as Glary headed towards Tara who was stepping back as more and more people rushed past them screaming. In the meantime, Dawn felt something wet on the side of her cheek. Reaching up, she dabbled the wetness away and looked at the blood with her eyes wide open. She then looked up as Glory was a step away from Tara, and was about to grab the witch when she noticed the blood on her nails. Glory stopped and looked at Dawn's blood with a confused look before she took her finger into her mouth, and licked the blood off the nail.

Glory closed her eyes in ecstasy as Tara dashed past her and grabbed onto Dawn.

"No," whispered Dawn with terror etched on her face as she saw the grin on Glory's face after she turned and stared directly at the young girl.

"Willow!" yelled Tara before she turned and stared at Glory.

"My Key," growled the god as she took a step towards Dawn and Tara.

In the meantime, Barry was pacing on the grass as he constantly looked at his wristwatch and wondered why Kelly hadn't come yet. He knew that she had been wanting to go out with him for nearly a month, and now that they had made plans.. she was a no-show. Barry thought that maybe she just forgot, but that thought vanished just as it appeared. Frowning, the young man was about to leave, deciding to take a rain check on meeting Tara, Willow, and Dawn, when he turned around at the screams behind him as people ran out of the Fair.

"Hey," yelled Barry as he grabbed a panicked man, "what's going on?"

"Crazy weirdos!" exclaimed the man as he jerked his body out of Barry's grip, "I should never have come to visit this godforsaken town with their drugs, and hopped up ladies. No way."

Barry looked at the man run away before turning around towards more people running out of the entrance in panic. Even some of the police on bike patrol. Barry watched them leave, and then he narrowed his eyes at the entrance.. wondering what could scare these people so much. He the took off at super speed into the Fair. Barry changed into his uniform just after passing the gates as everyone seemed to move in slow motion. He weaved in and out of the crowd that was heading out before he circled the Fair searching for what was causing the mass exodus.

And then he saw them.

Willow was on her elbow trying to get up off the ground, while Tara was holding on to Dawn's hand. He saw the look of terror on the faces of the three young women as they stared at the blonde woman in a red dress. Barry changed direction and ran towards them, he had no idea what was going on… but he had a feeling that the woman in red was the cause. As he reached out to the woman in red, Barry slowed down just a little bit, enough for the woman to grab his arm even though he was moving at super-speed, and then twist her body while flinging the red speedster into a stall.

All Tara, Dawn, and Willow felt was a gust of wind just before Glory moved at Super-speed to grab the figure in a red suit, and then swiftly fling him to one side. For that one moment, Tara saw the figure's aura as he screamed while flying backwards into a stall.

It was crackling with yellow lightning.

'Barry?' thought Tara to herself as Glory sped to the destroyed cart.

Barry groaned as he opened his eyes to see the blonde standing over him.

"So, the Streak really is just a meat-bag," said the woman as she used her super-speed to reach down towards Barry. It was something he saw as everything moved in slow motion. Barry rolled his body to one side as the woman, still moving at slow motion grabbed onto nothingness. He saw her raise her head slowly while she was leaning down before starting to run towards him. Barry pulled more of his speed as he leapt back, lightning trailing all along his body while he looked over the woman's shoulder at the stunned faces of the three young women who were standing still, while he and the woman were still moving; albeit she was moving slightly slower than him.

Barry then ducked under her arm and ran towards Tara and the others. He stopped right behind them, and then grabbed Dawn's shoulder. The young girl looked up at Barry who was vibrating his face and disguising his voice… asking them what was going on.

"Take her to the Magic Box," said Tara as Willow rushed to her girlfriend, "she's in danger… go!"

Noticing the serious tone in Tara's voice, Barry told the two of them that he'll be right back. Dawn was begging him not to take her away while he turned and then ran.

**Magic Box, three minutes earlier.**

Giles and Anya had just finished tying one of Glory's disfigured minions to a chair after he admitted that Glory knew who the Key was. That she was going after the 'blonde witch' who was the newest addition to their little group. Giles and Anya looked at each other with their eyes wide open before Giles told Anya to call Buffy and have her meet the both of them at the Fair. He knew that Dawn was with both Tara and Willow and that if somehow Glory discovered that Tara wasn't the Key.. then Willow and Dawn would be in danger.

After Anya made the call to Buffy, while Giles punched the minion across his face, the both of them gathered a series of ingredients for a spell that would slow down Glory. Once they had everything, Giel sand Anya headed out the door; their plan was to perform the ritual for the spell in the car while Giles drove. But the plan was pushed aside when Giles reached his car and then heard the sound of thunder in the distance.

"Thunder?" asked Anya as she and Giles looked up at the clear and bright skies over Sunnydale. It was then that the both of them stepped back once Barry stopped in front of them, holding onto Dawn so that she didn't stumble forward.

"Oh dear Lord," whispered Giles while Anya looked on at Barry in his red suit, "the Streak does exist."

"Umm…," said Barry as Dawn's shirt started to burn. The young girl screamed as Barry zipped into a nearby store while Anya was trying to put away the flames that appeared, and Giles turned away from the unravelling scene behind him. Barry zipped back and handed Anya a blanket while he closed his eyes. Anya hurriedly wrapped the blanket around Dawn as her shirt burned off while Barry apologized before speeding away towards the Fair. Running faster until he reached Mach Three, Barry saw Glory reaching towards Willow. Suspecting that Glory was a meta-human with super strength and speed, Barry reached Mach Four just before reaching the woman. A few seconds before he reached her, Barry pulled back his arm just as Glory looked up in slow motion, and was beginning to move so that she could avoid Barry. Barry's eyes went wide when she moved just enough, the both of them moving slowly while everything around them stood still, for Glory to grab Barry by his collar, and then swiftly fling him to the right, and into a the Japanese finger painting stall, and then he crashed through that followed by crashing through a dunk tank full of water. Back in normal time, Glory laughed at the explosion of water before turning to glare at Tara and Willow. Glory then hurriedly walked towards the two young women as Tara was getting up, and pulling Willow to her feet. The both of their faces were in a panic as Willow cried out a spell before pushing Glory just a few steps back.

"Not strong enough," said Glory just as she super sped towards Willow. She wanted to grab her by the neck with one hand, and then tear her head off.. spine and all. She would then feed on Tara. before going for Dawn. She was going to take Joyce and Dawn with her; one would be for her food, and the other one would be her way home... and both of them would be to spite Buffy. However, while moving as super-speed towards Willow, Glory felt something hit her before finding herself rolling on the grass away from Willow. Screaming a she quickly got up to her feet and readied to smash into a pulp whoever it was that pushed her away, she set her eyes on Barry whose suite was dripping wet with water. She saw him vibrate his body, lighting crackling along his body as steam rose off the uniform.

"Neat trick," smirked Glory, "but..."

Tara and Willow were on their feet as Barry ran towards the woman in the red dress. If they could see Barry, they would have seen him duck the arm that Glory swung at him. But in reality, all they saw was a blur with lightning behind it circling Glory. Glory who was screaming at the Streak who was running circles, literally, around her at supersonic speed. Barry was running fast enough for Glory to stand still in the middle of the dust that was starting to rise up and then spread out once there was a sonic boom. A sonic boom that, from Glory's perspective, made her cover her ears and scream while Willow and Tara ducked. The two witches them looked up to see the Streak standing still while the yellow lighting was still encircling him and Glory. And then there was another streak, followed by another one, and another one, and then another one as the circle of orange electricity was spreading outwards. As Willow and Tara stood up, they saw Glory hit one of the figures, which just turned out to be an image. And then she hit another image, and then another as the force of the wind inside the circle she was trapped in buffeted her from all direction.

Barry felt it was time as he stopped and then swung his arm, grabbing a bolt of his lightning and throwing it at Glory. The woman screamed before being flung back onto the grass. Barry stood panting for a few seconds before he ran behind Willow and Tara. Breathing in and out, Barry then put his arms around the shoulders of the two young women, while they watched Glory groan before slowly getting to her feet. Barry saw her stumble sideways before she shook her head and glared at him.

"Oh you're fast," yelled Glory panting as she prepared to run again while trying to keep her balance, "let's see you outrun a god."

"Yeah… no!" yelled Barry as yellow lightning cracked over his body before speeding away with Tara and Willow. A few seconds later, he dropped them off in the store where Giles and Anya had taken Dawn. Barry then left again out the door when Tara and Willow's shirts flared up and caught fire. They were scrambling to put out the fires on their own shirts which were turning to ash as Giles looked away. It was a few seconds later that Barry ran in and wrapped blankets around the both of them before skidding to a stop.

Back in the Fair, Glory stumbled forward again before cursing and holding both sides of her head before she transformed into a man in a red dress. He then got up to his feet and mumbled that his whole body hurt before limping away. At the same time, Tara and the others stared at the man in red in stunned silence, a silence that Barry broke when he asked the question that was going through his head.

"What's going on?"

TBC.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**The Magic Box, 1410 hours.**

"Hi," grinned Dawn waving with one hand, and holding the blanket around her with her other hand. In the meantime, Giles had Anya call the Summers house to have Buffy come to the Magic Box instead of the Fair. While Anya nodded her head and dialled the Summers home number, Barry waved at Dawn, and then looked nervously at Tara and Willow who were holding their blankets tight around them. It wasn't too long before Barry heard Anya was speaking with Joyce on the phone and asking for Buffy. Anya then relayed a message to Joyce that Buffy had just left for the fair, and that she seemed worried about Dawn, Tara and Willow… and Joyce had no idea why. Giles rushed to Anya, and grabbed the phone from her. It was then, while Giles was talking to Joyce, that a very curious Anya walked up to Barry and then circled him while poking his arm, the lightning emblem, and then his chest with her finger.

"Hey!" exclaimed a frowning Barry as he spoke with his vibrating vocal chords. Frowning, then man then looked over Tara and Willow's shoulder to the deformed creature tied to a chair wearing a brown coloured cloak. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, Barry turned his attention back to Anya who continued poking him with her finger while Giles was speaking with Joyce, telling her to get a set of clothes for Dawn, and then pick up Buffy since she shouldn't have gone too far from the house. He then asked her to meet him and the others in the Magic Box, and that everything would be explained, before putting the phone down as he stared at Barry.

"Amazing," said Giles as he fixed his glasses while he walked towards the man in the red suit, at the same time Willow and Tara were looking on with red faces of embarrassment. Giles was about to say something else when Barry excused himself, and rushed out… coming back a few seconds later with shirts that read 'I love Sunnydale' for Tara, Willow, and Dawn.

"Sorry," he said before stepping back as Tara, Willow and Dawn grabbed a hold of the shirts, "sometimes if I'm carrying someone, and they happen to wear something's that's slightly flammable then there's a bit of an issue. Or if I'm going too fast like just now… then clothes happen to go poof."

"It… it's ok," smiled Dawn nodding her head excitedly before leaning to the side and looking at Giles, "see, I told you he's cool."

"Since we're kinda, you know… got little under the blankets," said Willow nervously while looking down at herself, and then looking at everyone while nodded her head at Dawn and Tara, "I think we should put these on, and then get back out here."

"You girls should head to the back," said Giles pointing towards a door at the rear of the shop. Barry looked around while the three young women turned and walk away, and saw spell books, strange items in bottles, and power of different colours in different packets. It made him think that Giles and the others were really deep into cosplay, especially given the large jar of what he thought to be fake salamander eyes looking back at his as he walked past a table, and then down one step. Shuddering at the thought of salamander eyes, he turned to Anya who was still poking his shoulders while walking around him and staring at his costume. Once the rear door closed shut, Giles sighed before turning to the disguised Barry, and thanked him for saving Tara, Willow, and Dawn.

"I was around patrolling, about to leave the city when I heard screams," said Barry in his disguised voice as Anya walked back to Giles' side while saying out loud that it was possible that 'the Streak' was a low level demon, given Dawn's description of the 'portal'. Barry just listened as Anya spoke as if he wasn't there, with Giles occasionally glancing at him. Barry had a deep frown as Anya continued to refer to him as a lower demon when the rear door opened once again and the three young women walked out.

"I'm not a demon," said Barry shaking his head and waving his arms while Tara, Dawn, Willow walked up to Giles and asked what they had missed. Anya got the three young women up to speed while Barry said, "I mean I told Dawn that I'm not a demon, and…"

"Then how are you running so fast without having demonic abilities?" asked Anya turning back at him questioningly while folding her arms over her chest.

"Ummm…. He's not a demon," said Tara as she lifted her arm up, "I.. I mean…"

"Thank you," examined Barry as he pointed at Tara, and then looked at the others, "see, I'm not a… wait a second… how do you know I'm not a demon?"

Barry listened, in surprise, as Tara told him that she had seen his aura, that it was a very unique aura with yellow lightning crackling around it. She reiterated that his aura was still human, and that she didn't feel any evil coming off it… that there was nothing demonic.

"Yellow lightning, on my…. Oh," said Barry, his eyes wide open in surprise as he interrupted Tara. He saw Tara give him a small smile before looking away, it was then that Barry realized that Tara knew that the Streak and Barry Allen were the same. Barry shook his head, telling himself that while he had seen a lot of strange things since becoming the Flash, aura reading was something he never thought possible. Barry then changed the subject, and repeated Tara's claim that he wasn't a demon.

"Are you certain, Tara?" asked Giles. And Tara nodded her head.

Barry gave her a small smile and nodded his head, and he made a mental note to thank her for not revealing his real identity. Barry then repeated what Tara had told him back at the Fair, that Dawn was in danger.

"And I could have sworn that lady say she's a god," said Barry pointing his thumb at the door behind him, "I mean… come on, right? It's a… I mean I've had my fair share of an immortal mad man, a couple who was reincarnate over four thousand years, and of course meta-humans.. but not a god. Well…"

Willow and Tara looked at each other, and then at a surprised Giles while Barry told them about his friend Oliver who was the one who had just dealt with a mad man trying to take over his city using death as a power source, "but never a god. I mean people say that they're a god so that…"

"She is a god," answered Dawn. The tone of her voice made Barry stop talking and look straight at the young girl.

"I think we should wait until Buffy gets here," said Willow as Barry tilted his head. He remembered Buffy from the hospital, and the dinner at her house, and when she'd come with Willow and the others to the Espresso Pump, but he was confused as to why they all had to wait until she arrived.

'Maybe because Dawn's her step-sister?' thought Barry to himself recalling what Dawn had told him the first day he arrived on this particular Earth.

"Sooo…" said Willow as she tried to change the topic away from conversations of gods, magic, and demons, "how fast can you go? Wait, how is it that your suit doesn't… oh, wait… that's a friction proof suit, isn't it? That's why it doesn't burn up. And… oh, oh, how about the lightning? Is that because you…"

"Breathe," said Tara as she patted the babbling Willow on her back.

"I should check out the fair for any other injuries," said Barry as he started to take a step back. He needed to know what was going on, and he couldn't really tell them anything about how he got his powers… at least not yet.

"But…."

"There's a friend of ours," said Dawn as Barry looked at her, "his name is Barry, he should have gone out of there when the running and the screaming started but… but can you make sure he's safe?"

"I'll try, and…"

"Please," begged Dawn, "he saved my mom, so…"

"I'll get him home if I find him," assured Barry before he glanced over at the small smile on Tara's face.

Barry then turned and zoomed out of the shop, leaving a gust of wind in his wake that made every take a few steps back before leaving everyone looking stunned at the door shutting on its own. While Tara and the others were standing around trying to come up with something to say, Barry was at the entrance to the Fair. He had run past many cars and even a man walking around in a red dress, but the young man didn't think much about it. However, there was something niggling in the back of his mind, that the dress was familiar somehow. Barry was thinking about stopping, but decided against it when the thought vanished from his head. Upon reaching the Fair, the first thing Barry did was to run around and search for any injured people.

And he found a few, the ones who Glory had attacked after she was thrown into the cart earlier were still lying on the ground unconscious, while an officer was mumbling incoherently… just like the mentally ill man at the hospital the day Barry took Joyce to the hospital. Barry first felt for pulses, and when he did.. he ran them, and the officer, up to Sunnydale Mercy at super-speed. Once everyone was brought to the hospital, much to the surprise and whispers of the people in the lobby upon actually seeing Barry in his costume and in person instead of on the newspaper, Barry returned to the Fair grounds. He zipped through the grounds searching for other wounded, and then finally he stopped at the spot where Glory was injured.

He crouched down and looked out for any specks of blood that he could collect and then run tests on by running into the police department later that night. But he found nothing, which made him even more confused. He knew that Glory must have felt the full blast of the sonic boom, and that she should be bleeding from the ears and nose.

But there was nothing as he scanned the immediate area with his eyes.

Frowning, Barry's thoughts then returned to what could have happened to Kelly. He stood up and wondered why she wouldn't be here when she had been the one asking him out for nearly a month, and he remembered the smile on her face as when he agreed to accompany her to the fair.

'So I know that she was definitely looking forward to it,' thought Barry to himself while standing on the grass, 'so where could she be?'

Barry then ran off, grabbing his bag on the way at the entrance behind the barrels, through the streets and weaving past one car after another as he headed for the Espresso Pump. He changed into his civilian clothes just before reaching the Espresso Pump, and ran normally around the corner of the coffee shop. Barry ran up the stairs and asked the Baristas' on duty if they had heard from Kelly, but they shook their heads.

With no other choice, Barry guessed that he would have to go to her address. He ran out of the Espresso Pump, and then zoomed out at super-speed towards Kelly's apartment. He ran up to her floor and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Rubbing the back of his head in worry, Barry looked around before attempting to vibrate.. but immediately thought against it. Instead, he made a mental note of the apartment's location, and then zipped out of the floor. He ran out of the entrance, and then made a tight turn before running up the wall. With everything at slow motion, Barry looked in through the window, and into Kelly's bedroom which had already been made. It was as if there was no-one at home. Running back down the wall, Barry ran through the city at super-speed searching every road and alleyway for the young woman.

And he did find her. At least her body.

It was last night that Kelly had asked Barry to go with her to a local club called the Bronze, which had recently undergone a renovation of its interior due to a gang bust-up. He told Kelly that he had heard about that, but what he didn't tell her was that he was in Santa Barbara as the Flash and had only heard about it the next day. Back in the present day, Barry recalled saying 'no' to Kelly, and that he would meet her at the Fair instead. And now, he was crouched down in front of Kelly's pale body which was slumped against a wall in the alley alongside the Bronze. Her body was behind a dumpster, her eyes open and looking out into nothingness. Barry was shocked at the drained body in front of him, and then noticed the dried bite marks on her neck. Shaking his head in disbelief as a part of his mind started to play on the idea that this could be the work of a vampire, a being of fiction, and just as quickly told himself it wasn't possible.

'But then again, Dawn and her friends think I'm some kind of a demon,' thought Barry to himself while closing her eyes with his fingers. Looking at the woman one last time, Barry zipped to a payphone, and then made an anonymous tip to the police. To make sure that Kelly's body wasn't alone, he watched from a distance undetected for several minutes until the police came, and took away the body. He then ran off… a blur with lightning, towards the Magic Box.

He wanted answers on what was going on in the city.

**Magic Box, ten minutes later.**

"Dawn!" Buffy was the first one out of the Jeep, followed by a rushing Joyce, before they ran through the door of the Magic Box, and towards the young girl who was sitting with Tara and Willow at the table. Dawn got up, and hugged her sister who was asking her, Tara, and Willow if they were alright. And if Glory had hurt them in any way.

"The Streak saved us," said Dawn as she hugged her mother tightly while Buffy looked questioningly at Dawn, and then at Tara and Willow who nodded their heads, confirming what the young brunette had said. Giles and Anya then pitched in saying that the Streak had saved all three of them from Glory, and then Dawn and Willow told Buffy what happened at the Fair. It was just as Willow was about to finish, that there was a gust of wind from behind Buffy and Joyce who turned around to see Barry in his red suit.

"See," said Anya pointing at Barry, "I told you, demon powers."

"Not a demon," said both Barry and Tara at the same time.

"Did you find Barry?" asked Dawn.

"He's safe," replied Barry, his voice disguised while Buffy knitted her brow and walked around him. Barry, for his part, glanced over at Tara who was covering the smirk on her lips with her hand. Barry then looked back at Dawn and told her that he had taken 'Barry' home. As Dawn breathed a sigh of relief, Barry looked over at Buffy, who was to his left, and watched her looking him over before walking backwards towards Joyce and the others, "and you must be Buffy?"

"This is Buffy, my sister," said Dawn as she poked her shoulder, and then grabbed Joyce's hand, and introduced her to Barry.

"Ma'am," said Barry nodding his head towards Joyce.

"H… hi," said a still shocked Joyce, "umm… thanks for saving Dawn. And Tara and Willow."

"It was nothing," added Barry before he turned to Buffy, "although it would be nice to know what's going on."

"That's my line," Buffy said with a frown, "just what is going on? Look, thanks for saving Dawn and my friends, but we don't know you… or if you really work for Glory and…"

"I don't," added Barry shaking his head.

"He doesn't, Buffy," said Tara gently, "he's telling the truth."

"But can we risk it?" asked Buffy as she turned to Tara, "I mean… he came out of the portal from whatever hell dimension he came from and…"

"Ummm… again, not a demon here," said Barry sheepishly before frowning, "and why is it that everyone thinks I'm a demon?"

"A portal out of nowhere?" asked Buffy waving her hands while tuning back to Barry, "and…"

"I got my powers because of a particle accelerator explosion that released dark matter into the atmosphere," said Barry while the others looked on confused, "the dark matter energy seeded a storm cloud, and I was struck by lightning. I was in a coma for nine months, and when I woke up… I had these powers."

"That's not possible," said Willow knitting her eyebrows together, "something like that.. I mean, we would have heard about it. It would've been on the news."

"That's because I'm from another Earth," said Barry as Buffy and Tara looked at each other, the surprise showing on both of their faces before the Slayer turned to Willow, who put her hands up and swore that she wasn't the one who brought him to Sunnydale.

"I mean… I don't think I did," said Willow as she looked away, deep in thought for a few seconds, before turning to Buffy and shaking her head. All the while, Barry looked at her confused, "I mean that whole thing with the other me was a fluke, and… well, he came here before Olaf.. so… yeah. Definitely not me."

"Huh?" asked Barry. The man in red then shook his head before telling them that on his Earth, he was called the Flash. Barry knew that Dawn and Joyce were aware his parents had been killed, so to prevent them from guessing his identity, Barry told them that he was testing how fast he could go… and had somehow made it to another Earth, "I mean this isn't the first time something like this happened."

"You've been to other Earths?" asked a surprised Giles as he fixed his glasses, "without any magic?"

"Well," said Willow who was deep in thought before Barry could answer, "technically if someone could move fast enough… and I mean really fast, they could open a breach into another world. I mean, it's a theory and…"

"So… hold on…" said Anya shaking her head, "you, the Flash.. or the Streak.. are telling us that you got here by running? Just by running?"

"Yep," said Barry nodding his head, the redhead remaining him of Wynn on Kara's Earth, "and.. well, I've tried to open a breach again, but for some reason… I can't."

"How fast have you gone?" asked Willow as she walked past Buffy.

"Mach fourteen… ish?" replied Barry as he looked at the redhead frowning and looking off to the side while playing with her fingers. It was then he realized he had seen Cisco do something similar when he was running calculations in his head. Then Willow mumbled 'wow', before telling Barry that he was really fast… but she didn't know if that would be enough to open a breach.

"I've got no choice but to wait for a friend to contact me," said Barry shrugging his shoulders. He then told them about Cisco, and his ability to look into the multiverse; something that he saw surprised Anya especially. She and Willow looked at each other, the both of them thinking about having sent Olaf, the troll, away using magic a few weeks ago when someone who generates portals could have been even more useful.

"So you're stuck here?" asked Joyce, "how about your friends, family?"

"They're all on my Earth," said Barry, his voice still disguised, "but I helped fight crime in my city, so… yeah…"

"Wish we just had crime," whispered Buffy before looking over at Giles. The both of them looked at each other wondering if the Flash could be trusted with the truth about Sunnydale, and then they looked at Dawn, who was smiling at Barry. Despite Giles and Buffy not talking out loud, the one thing they knew the other agreed with was to keep Dawn safe. Giles then nodded at Buffy, silently telling her that Barry had a right to know the truth about the city. In other words, he was telling her to trust Tara's judgement… that if the Flash had been lying, then Tara would have told them.

"Do you have a real identity that…"

"It's called a secret identity for a reason, Buffy," smiled Barry.

"Alright, Flash… what do you know about magic and demons?"

Barry told her what he had already told the others, that he had faced the mystical in the form of an immortal, and two four-thousand year old reincarnated super-heroes. He told them about the prevented extinction level event that was nearly caused by a madman who used mystical means to power himself using the deaths of people; and he mentioned the fact that he was beaten by Oliver and his team. Barry told them that he usually handled meta-humans who were changed by the particle accelerator disaster in Central City, and that his exposure to the supernatural and mystical was extremely limited. However, Barry knew that wasn't the truth either… he had been inside the Speed Force itself, and while he couldn't understand fully the nature of the source of his powers… Barry knew that there was a mixture of science and mysticism involved.

But he wanted to keep knowledge about the Speed Force with himself, at least for now.

As for Buffy, she had been staring at Barry with a mixture of surprise and awe about the things the Flash had been facing with back in his city. Part of her wanted that life, to fight normal crime instead of battling demons, vampires, and gods; of pushing back one apocalypse after another with the threat of death hanging over her head. She was scared that one day, she wouldn't be able to come home to Joyce and Dawn.. and that terrified her still.

'I did die once,' thought Buffy to herself as she looked at Dawn, and then at Barry, 'not anymore. I hope.'

"Giles?" said Buffy before asking where Xander was, with Anya telling her that he was at work.

"Flash," said Giles, once Anya had stopped talking, as he fixed his glasses on his nose, "the world… at least this world… is older than anyone knows. It didn't start off as a paradise as many people think."

Barry listened in stunned silence as Giles talked about the Earth being Hell for demons and monsters eons ago. That there were great beings.. pure demons, that walked, flew, and slithered all over the land and seas.. that they would go to war with each other, and kill, and destroy. Barry listened as Giles told him about the Old Ones, the Hellmouth under Sunnydale, the existence of Magic… to which Willow gave a demonstration of creating a ball of light in the palm of her hand – something that amazed Barry – followed by Buffy telling Barry what she was; a Slayer.

"One girl in all the world," said Buffy as Barry looked at her in surprise, "at least that's the story. I die, and another girl gets selected. She dies, and then there's another one and so on."

"Wow," replied Barry as he rubbed the back of his head. Buffy had already told Barry that she had been battling evil for nearly six years, and had her friends to help her in the battles. Willow then proudly told Barry that Buffy prevented a lot of apocalypses over those years, saving the entire world in turn. Barry, for his part, was amazed as he listened to stories of what Buffy had done.. and he couldn't help but admire the young blonde who was looking back at Giles, and then at her other friends. Buffy then looked back at Barry after they were done, and then at Dawn, and back at Barry with apprehension on her face as she mentioned the name of the god that was after them.

"The woman who came after Dawn, Tara, and Willow," said Buffy, 'her name's Glory."

"She said she was a god, which is…"

"She is a god," Buffy reassured Flash, "I wasn't able to beat her; Tara, Willow and Dawn told me what you did, and even you weren't able to beat her. We received some information that.. that's told us she's nearly unkillable."

"Let's say that she is a god," said Barry, "she has to have a weakness, right? I mean…"

"She's in a human vessel," said Giles.

"That's why she doesn't have any of a regular godlike powers like lightning or fire shooting out of her hands," said Anya, "and… well… do you think you can take me out on a run. I mean Tara and Willow got to go, so…"

"Maybe another time?" asked Barry as Anya nodded her head. Barry then turned to Dawn, and asked why she was so important.

**Near the Sunnydale Cultural Fairgrounds, at that same moment.**

Buffy didn't want to tell him about Dawn being the Key, so while she thought of an explanation, she continued to tell Barry about the dangers that Glory represented to them, and to the world. In the meantime, Ben was stumbling along the street while wearing a red dress. He was dazed, but caught glimpses in his memory of a man in a red suit, of a frightened Tara, Willow, and Dawn before recalling the claim made by the insane man at the hospital that he could see a green light swirling inside Dawn. He grabbed his head with both hands and screamed when he perceived a memory of Glory smiling at her minions before telling them to find the newest person in Buffy's group; that the newest person was the key.

"No, no, no, no, no," begged Ben as he got onto his knees just as five police cars were driving towards him. They were on the way to the Fair when the first two stopped, and the other three went onwards past them. Ben looked at the men, two from each car, fully armed as they got out while he was begging them to stay away… that 'she' was coming.

"Sir…, you…." once of the officers said just before Ben whispered it was too late. That it was about time. Then he changed form and a smiling, but panting, Glory appeared in his place.

"What an idiot," hissed Glory as she walked towards the officers with a slight limp, "he thought he could keep me away from my Key."

"Miss," said one of the officers holding out his hand, "we need to get you to…"

"Shut up!" yelled Glory as she approached him and, before he could even take out his gun, the god had her hands buried in his head. The woman absorbed his mental energy, and she felt herself strengthening when she felt various objects stinging against her body. She glared at the officers as they fired their tasers at her before she finished absorbing the officers energy. He then fell to the ground babbling incoherently while Glory moved on to the man's partner. Glory tore off the leads that had been sticking to her dress from the Taser weapons, and broke the man's neck before rushing to the third officer, and then tearing his head off while screaming that "I saw him up close and personal! He's from another world! Like me! And he wants the Key all to himself!"

"M… Miss," stuttered the final officer whose hands were shaking at the deaths around him, and then he stared at the officer who was slowly getting up and started o mumble about kittens. The final officer turned back to Glory and took out his sidearm, and aimed it at Glory who tilted her head and smiled.

"Look, meatbag.. I'm not in a…"

There was a bang, and Glory's head was pushed back as a bullet from the gun hit her forehead. Sighing, Glory looked back down at the officer who dropped his weapon and stepped back.. his body shaking as the flattened bullet fell off Glory's forehead and onto the grass.

"You know, it's about time for the Key to be used," said Glory as she zipped in front of the last officer, and grabbed the sides of his head with her hands. She then placed her forehead on his, and whispered that she was going to make a deal… that 'he' would have the opportunity to use the Key with her… that they were kindred spirits; the fact was that the both of them weren't home, "do you know how lonely it's been? The pain of suffering in this human stench?"

"I… I…" said the officer shaking his head.

"Why am I telling you any of this?" hissed Glory before she fed on the man's mental energy, "if he doesn't take the deal? Well, he's gone… the Slayer's gone… the world will be gone while I get to go home."

As the officer fell onto the grass mumbling incoherently, Glory thought about all the places that Buffy and the others could be. Smiling as she remembered the Magic Box, and the fact that she had seen some of Buffy friends there the day she bought the items to complete the a ritual to call upon Sobek. Glory smiled and then ran all the way there.

**Magic Box, two minutes later.**

Barry was listening to Giles finish talking about the various dangers present in Sunnydale, and he was about to talk to them about Kelly, when there was a gust of wind behind him. He turned around and zipped back just as Buffy jumped back, along with Tara and the others. Everyone was near the stairs while glaring at the woman in red standing next to the counter and smiling at them.

Barry glanced over at Buffy as she rolled her hands into fists, and then at Glory who was looking back directly at him.

"I should have been able to tell," said Glory as she tilted her head at Barry, "well, I'll admit you surprised me with that sucker punch, and then me hitting you and… let's forget about that. I should have been able to tell instantly that you're not from this world, am I right?"

"How'd you know?" asked Barry.

"I'm a god," said Glory nonchalantly before waving her hands, "now, I have a deal for you."

"What deal?" asked Barry.

"You help me get the Key, and we can use it to get our own homes," said Glory as Barry looked on in surprise. He looked at a suddenly worried Buffy, who continued to glare at Glory, before he looked back at a worried Dawn and Joyce who were holding hands. Barry glanced over at Tara, who was shaking her head discretely, before Barry turned to look at Glory.

"What's the Key?" he asked.

"That scrumptious thing over there," said Glory as she pointed her finger towards Dawn.

"Dawn?" asked Barry, "I don't…"

"She doesn't exist," said Glory as Barry looked at a frightened Dawn who looked back at him. Barry then looked at a very worried Giles, Anya, Willow, and Tara who was shaking her head discretely. Barry then glanced over at Buffy who was telling Glory to shut up.

"She does exist," yelled Buffy, "she's my sister, and…"

"She… I'm sorry… it is just a ball of energy, an important ball of green Keyness," mocked Glory as she looked at Buffy, Dawn, and then she continued talking to Barry who turned back towards her, "we can use her. Tomorrow, the stars will align.. the day to use the key will be upon us."

"I…." thought Barry to himself as he shook his head. It had been a month since he arrived on this Earth, and so far Cisco wasn't able to find him and bring him home. But now there was a way, a way home using a girl he barely knew… a girl who Glory was claiming to be a mystical object. A mystical object who Buffy had just claimed was a human being, and her sister. Barry knew that everyone was waiting for him; Iris, Joe, Caitlin, Wally, and Cisco… all of them were waiting for him to come home.

"You touch my sister," said Buffy as she glared at Glory while she stepped back to stand by Dawn's side, and then she glared at Barry who was looking at her, "I don't care how fast you are, I will kill you."

From Buffy's eyes, Barry knew that she would; he knew that she meant every word.

"What'll happen to Dawn?" whispered Barry as he continued to look at Dawn, while already afraid of the answer.

"She'll become what she really is, a ball of green energy that'll open doorways to every single dimension… every single reality," said Glory with a maniacal grin on her face, "she'll fade out of existence, and the spell that those stupid monks did to create her will go away. Everyone will forget that she ever existed."

"She'll die," whispered Barry as he faced Glory.

"You can see it that way if you want to," said Glory, her jaw already set. She was prepared for Barry to refuse her, she was ready to go on the offensive first and attack, "but you and I? Two beings away from home? We'll finally go home… you'll be with the meatbags who you care for, and I'll be in my dimension taking it over."

With a stinging pain in his chest, Barry turned to Dawn who already had tears in her eyes. He then looked at the rage in Buffy's eyes as she prepared to attack.

'Sorry, Iris,' thought Barry to himself as he looked away, and turned to Glory, "no."

"No?" asked Glory as Buffy turned to Willow and the others, telling them to use the rear door, and get out of the building to safety, "no?!"

Buffy turned to an enraged Glory who had her hands rolled into fists.

"Go!" yelled Buffy at her mother, sister, and friends, when suddenly there was a gust of wind, followed by a scream of anguish from Glory who turned towards the door as a glimpse of yellow lightning made a left turn. She turned back to Buffy, who just then noticed that both Dawn and Joyce were missing. She turned to Glory and rushed at her while yelling at Giles and the others to get out.

"But Buff…."

"Out!" yelled Buffy at Willow as she punched Glory. The god and Slayer fought, with Buffy getting a few hits in, however it was Glory who had the upper hand. For every punch from Buffy that landed, Glory hit her twice as hard. The Slayer was thrown onto the stairs, followed by Buffy getting up, kicking Glory off her. The blonde Slayer then dashed towards the table, picked it up, and slammed the table onto Glory. Stumbling back just for an instant, Glory would then proceed to hit Buffy harder and harder, even throwing her against the book shelves across from the counter. Groaning in pain as she got up from the floor, Buffy ran and tackled Glory to the floor before sitting on her waist, and then punching her face repeatedly. Glory then grabbed Buffy's hands mid-punch, laughed, and threw her clear into a large glass case that contained various items, including a hammer.

The same hammer that Buffy had taken from Olaf, the troll god. Buffy's body shattered the glass, with a large piece stabbing into her left arm. She fell onto the floor, with the hammer next to her as Glory walked past her prone body, and towards the middle of the shop. Buffy raised her head, and looked at Glory slapping the minion awake before pointing her hand towards the exit. Buffy heard her tell the deformed minion to gather everyone else, and kill Buffy's friends as punishment for hiding the Key once again. Buffy got up slowly as Glory tore away the minions ropes, and looked on as he ran out the rear door.

"Kill the blithering idiot, too, that Xan… whatever… KILL THEM ALL!" howled Glory as the rear door closed. She then head a creaking sound behind her, smiled, and turned around just as she was hit by a hammer Buffy had swung into her. Glory felt pain as the hammer hit, and she was flung into a book shelf. Glory fell on the floor, and slowly got up hissing at Buffy; but before she could do anything, Buffy swung the hammer, and hot Glory with enough force for her to fly into the table containing all the magical power, and the eye of salamander bottle; the contents of which were now all over Glory as she slowly got up. Her hair was wet, and salamander eyes were all over her head and her dress. However, the amazing thing was that Buffy saw the woman bleeding.

Buffy saw blood coming out of her ears, nose, the sides of Glory's mouth. The Slayer saw the bruises that were forming as Glory stumbled back in a daze.. while threatening her, that she was going to die… that she was going to rip her guts out and use them an a necklace.

"After I kill your sister," sneered Glory while wiping the blood off her face.

"Shut up!" yelled Buffy as she used all of her power to swing the hammer at the partially dazed Glory. Buffy slammed the hammer into Glory so hard that she was flung out of the shop window, shattering it in the process and landing in the middle of the street. Buffy locked her jaw tight in rage as Glory still had the strength to get up. However, the god seemed even more dazed than ever.

"You… will…" hissed Glory, "I… I will suck you dry, and…"

"I don't swing that way," said Buffy jumping through the window frame and landing on the shattered glass. She then dashed towards the god, swinging the hammer behind her, over her shoulder. But just as she was about to swing the hammer into the side of Glory's face, she stopped. Even Glory stopped talking and turned to her right, and looked into the distance. She and Buffy heard the roaring sound of thunder in the distance, and then Buffy saw what seemed like a lightning bolt hit Glory… followed by a bloodcurdling female scream as Glory flew backwards, and hit a distant shop. She went through that, and then ended up in another building that practically collapsed on her.

Stunned, Buffy turned to Barry who was standing, and panting, in the red suit.. with smoke coming off from all over his body.

"Hey," said Barry before he fell on one knee nursing his right fist, panting as Buffy rushed over to him, the hammer still in her hand.

"What the heck was that?" asked Buffy as she grabbed him by the arm, and helped him up to his feet, "and where's…."

"Miami," said Barry as he looked at Buffy who raised an eyebrow, "I guessed you wanted them far away?"

"Yea, but… I mean… you ran to Miami, and…"

"It made sense," said Barry winching, afraid that Buffy may hit him with the hammer. He had seen Buffy just before hitting Glory with a high-hypersonic punch… she was standing still holding the hammer with blood on it, and then he saw a badly beaten and bruised Glory who was bleeding. But Barry didn't stop, he hit Glory at the solar plexus.. and he actually felt her sternum and ribs cracking before Glory was sent flying backwards. That was what he was thinking while telling Buffy that Dawn and Joyce's clothes had burned off just as they reached Miami, and he had to procure some clothes for them before telling them that he'll be right back, "and here I am."

"Not bad," said Buffy impressed.

"Well, you and that hammer thing kinda beat her to a pulp," said Barry.

"Yeah," replied Buffy placing the handle of the hammer on her shoulder, "took care of her… softened her up for that thing you did."

Barry chuckled before nodded towards the injured Glory, "want to check her out?"

"Yea," said Buffy as Barry grabbed her shoulder, and then zipped to the partially collapsed store. Barry stopped, and held a dazed Buffy steady. He apologized while the Slayer said that she wasn't dazed from the run, that it was something else as she grabbed her head. It was then that Barry shook his head too, and started to recall the fight with Glory at the Fair. He remembered her red dress, and then he remembered the man he passed while running back to the Fair after saving Dawn, Tara, and Willow.

'They had on the same dress,' thought Barry to himself, 'the tears on the dress were exactly the same, but… but why didn't I put two and two together, why…?'

"Bu… Buffy," groaned a male voice inside the collapsed building as Buffy cautiously stepped inside, her head suddenly clear. Buffy and Barry walked into the building, and saw a man in a red dress lying in the corner, the sunlight hitting him thanked to the entire collapsed front part of the building, "Are.. are… you…"

"Ben?" gasped Buffy before she ran to him. Barry followed her and looked down at the man who was heavily bruised, and coughing blood. Buffy pushing the debris that was on him away, and then kneeled next to him. She then noticed the dress, and then with her eyebrows knitted together, she asked him why he was wearing a dress that looked just like Glory's.

"The… the spell…" muttered Ben as he struggled to speak while he grabbed Buffy's hand, "it.. it should be lifting. I… I can feel… dying."

"You're Glory?" asked Barry confused while Buffy closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Both… share… share body," gasped Ben, "I… prison… I.. I die… she… she dies.. and… and I… dying."

"You're Glory," said Buffy as she looked at the dress, and then at Ben's battered and bleeding face. She then gritted her teeth, and shook her head before glaring at him, "I…"

"So… sorry," said Ben just as his hand let go of Buffy's arm, and fell onto the floor. Barry looked at the dead man, and then at Buffy who was staring at Ben's body before standing up, and then taking a step back.

"Glory's minions are going after my friends now," whispered Buffy.

"Let's go?" asked Barry as Buffy looked at him.

"Let's go," said Buffy before taking a last look at Ben.

TBC.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Sunnydale.**

Buffy was about to run in one direction when Barry called for her. Buffy glanced at Ben's dead body before turning to Barry in his Flash uniform. She knew that the Flash would be able to run at high speed and get her family away from Glory's minions, all the while she was going to head to Glory's penthouse; the same Penthouse where Glory kidnapped Spike nearly a week ago when she thought that the vampire was the Key.

"Where are you going?" asked Barry.

"You saved Dawn and my mom," said Buffy nodding her head as she looked at Barry while trying to think how long it had taken for the round trip from Sunnydale to Miami. She had an idea of how to get to the Penthouse without him knowing about it, but she needed him out of the way… the truth was that Buffy knew what she needed to do to protect her family; that while she wished that she had Barry's powers and took care of normal crime... she knew that she couldn't.

That it wasn't her calling.

She was very aware that she was the Slayer. She was created to kill creatures in the darkness that threaten the innocent, and Glory had just sent her minion with an order to kill everyone she knew. There was no way Buffy was going to let that go, she knew what needed to be done… and she didn't know if Barry would stop her from doing what she knew she had to do.

"So I know that I can trust you to stay with them in case Glory's other minions come after them, and…"

"You'll be doing this alone, and…"

"Even with my friends," said Buffy, "I am alone.. this is my job. This is what I've been called for, Flash. And now, I need you to get Giles and my family; Willow, Xander, Dawn, and mom… out of harm's way. I'll be back home and…"

"Ummm… two questions," asked Barry, "where do I find this Xander? And where's home?"

"Find Giles," said Buffy pointing down the road, "the alleyway behind the Magic Box leads down there. Find them, get them home. Ask Giles for the address, and… and go. Watch out for them, Glory's not the only one after Dawn."

"But…" asked Barry, "what do you mean that…"

"We don't have time," said Buffy, "go!"

Barry nodded his head and took off running, while Buffy stared at the yellow lightning running away from her, before she turned and ran as fast as she could. She ran up to the roofs of the building and jumped from one roof to another while Barry grabbed Giles and Anya, and then Tara and Willow and brought them to Buffy's house. While telling Giles sand the others to get back into the house, he asked Anya and Giles if they knew where Xander was. Seeing her chance again, Anya told Barry where Xander would be.. and asked him to take her along.

"If Glory's minions are on the way," said Giles just before Barry left with Anya to get Xander, "then we need to get what weapons we could and prepare a defence."

"Glory's dead," said Barry much to Giles' surprise, "it's a long story, but after we get Xander, I need to know where Buffy could have gone to, and I quote, to defend her family."

"Flash," said Willow, "Buffy's gone alone?"

"Yea," was the reply as a worried Willow turned to an equally worried Tara.

"You don't think she would…" Willow left her sentence unfinished as Tara turned to her. The redhead could tell from her girlfriend's expression that Buffy would actually do what they were all thinking, go up against all of Glory's minions before they dared attack her family.

"She would what?" asked Barry while still remembering Buffy telling him to watch over her family, and that Glory wasn't the only person after the Key.

"Get Xander first," said Giles who turned as Barry ran off with Anya. He then turned to Willow and Tara, telling them to prepare themselves for battle.

In the meantime, Buffy was jumping from one roof to another with the hammer in her hand. She was fixated on her goal as she jumped onto the street below, and then rolled forward before taking off running. The pain on her side and back was gone, but she didn't know if it was just temporary because of the adrenaline pumping through her system.. or because she wasn't even thinking about the injuries until now. But it didn't matter to her, not when she was only a few minutes away from her target as she used her Slayer speed to run and jump past obstacles.

At the same time, Barry ran to the Summers porch with Xander and Anya, the dark haired young man stumbling back stunned while staring at Barry in the suit.

"There you are," said Giles who opened the door and handed the still stunned Xander an axe, something that Barry looked at with an eyebrow raised before peeking into the house. He saw Giles handing a crossbow to Willow from a wooden chest that looked as if it contained various weapons; the very same chest that Barry, when he came to Buffy's house after the incident with Joyce, asked about and was told that it contained some old family memorabilia.

"Ummm…." said Xander as he shook his head and walked past Barry, "where's Dawnie and Mrs S?"

"Miami," said Barry, his voice box vibrating, "they're safe."

"You ran all the way to Miami?" asked Xander while Giles looked on impressed, "you must go on a lot of free trips, huh?"

"I try," said Barry before he pointed at the exit, "listen, Buffy asked me to stay here and… I mean she asked me to stay with you, but if she's facing those minions alone…"

"Giles," said Willow, "Buffy can't do this by herself."

"Where's she going?" asked Barry.

"Glory's penthouse," said Xander with worry, "she's heading there."

"Where is it?" asked Barry. Once he knew where it was, Barry asked the Scoobies if they were going to be able to watch over themselves.

"Yes," relied Giles as he loaded an arrow onto the crossbow, "I believe that the minion has to notify the others before coming here. So it's very possible that they haven't left the Penthouse yet. If you leave now…"

"I'll be right back," said Barry before he ran off. He ran through the streets, and stopped when he saw Buffy running towards a tall building in the distance. Taking off again, Barry grabbed Buffy and then stopped in front of a gathered horde of forty deformed demons.

"What the hell?" asked Buffy as she turned to Barry while the minions watched in stunned silence, "I told you to stay with Giles and the others."

"They're going to be alright," said Barry, "technically, if you came here at your own speed, then you'd have missed them."

Barry nodded towards the minions, while Buffy frowned at him; and then turned towards them while holding the hammer in both of her hands.

"I'll tell you this once," said Buffy glaring at the demons, "Glory is dead and…"

"Glory is a god," interrupted one of the minions, "you can't…"

"Ben is dead," said Buffy as the minions started to mumble, some saying that it wasn't possible. But everyone stopped talking when Buffy whistled, before continuing to speak, "he said that if he dies, so does Glory. So he's dead, which means your 'god' has gone bye-bye. Now, you will leave my family alone… and you will leave my city.. if I see…"

"The yellow haired witch is the Key!" exclaimed another minion, "and we will open the gates. We will bring forth the home of the great and shining Glorificus. We will kill the both of you and finish what she started. We will…"

"I tried," mumbled Buffy before she ran at the minions while Barry just looked on. He watched as the minions took out axes, swords, and crossbows. He was about make a move just as they fired the arrows; and Barry ran.. he ran and caught the arrows mid-flight just before Buffy hit them with the hammer. Barry turned around and ran, with Buffy standing still as the hammer was swung over her shoulder while she leapt forward. Barry ran past her while at the same time grabbing the weapons from the minions. As he was running, Barry looked at Buffy's eyes.. and saw the same look that existed on Oliver's face; that of someone who had seen things that no other person should see. Once he grabbed the weapons of the minions, he stopped and dropped them under a tree, where he stood and watched Buffy hit one minion with the hammer, and then went onto the next one. He saw her drop the hammer on purpose before she leapt forward while growling in anger, and attacked some of the minions. The others who tried to run away were blocked by Barry, before he knocked them out by punching them at super-speed. Once he had stopped them, Barry watched Buffy pick up the hammer again before mowing down the minions one after another in movements that had no hesitation in them. Buffy attacked one after another, and some who wanted to run away were still taken down.

He watched Buffy panting as she snapped the neck of the final minion before stepping back. Buffy turned and looked at Barry, before thanking him, "all I care about is my family's safety."

"I can understand that," said Barry, a small smile on his face, "maybe I can help you…"

"You don't know what's out there," said Buffy shaking her head, "my mum, and Dawn may not think I do, but I read the papers. I've read what you've done in Santa Barbara, and a few places here. You handle what I wish I could handle… normal, human based crime. Me? I have to take care of the darkness that's attracted to the Hellmouth under the city."

Buffy stood with the hammer in her hand while she continued, "you should take care of the human crime… let me deal with the supernatural here. But, I hope if things do get really bad.. then…"

'I'll be here," said Barry nodding his head, "at least until I find a way home."

"Listen, can you bring mom and Dawn home?" asked Buffy.

"What about you?" asked Barry.

"I want to walk home," said Buffy, "I've been so worried about Glory that.. that I just need some time to myself now that she's gone."

"I'll get them home," said Barry nodding his head, "see you around?"

"Yeah," said Buffy before Barry zoomed off leaving her alone with the bodies of the minions. Grabbing her injured side, Buffy winched in pain before limping away. Happy that, finally, Glory was dead and gone.

**Earth One, 1400 hours, four days since Barry's disappearance.**

It had been nearly four days since Barry mysteriously vanished off the face of the Earth. And the entire time, Cisco had been placing his hand on the uniform that was burnt beyond recognition when Barry tried to regain his powers, recreating the same accident that made him into the Flash, but instead saw him absorbed into the Speed Force. This was that very same uniform that Cisco used to find him back then, it was the same uniform that he touched so that he and Iris could bring Barry back again.

Everyone was working on the problem for the past four days, from STAR Labs to Felicity in Star City, along with Curtis Holt who was helping her. They had even asked ARGUS for help in searching for the speedster, but there was nothing at all.

At least everywhere on Earth-One.

When everything had been exhausted on Earth One, it was only last night that Cisco contacted Earth Two, and told Harry, who was stunned to hear that Barry simply vanished, what was going on. Cisco talked to Jay as well when he returned to the STAR Labs on Earth Two after helping apprehend a few Meta-humans. Jay apologized for not being able to help Earth's One's Central City, especially since the Zoom's supposed death caused a power vacuum in the criminal underground. Various meta-humans were trying to fill that vacuum, and Jay told Cisco that Earth Two needed him more, "at least for right now, Cisco. These people.. the innocent? They need hope again. They need to see the Flash stopping these threats and… and once we've taken care of most of them, I'll come back to Earth One and help out. But…"

"I understand, Jay," said Cisco as his image stood in Harry's office at the STAR Labs in Earth Two. He had his goggles on while the remaining members of team Flash stood around him, with Iris looking worriedly at Cisco, and then at her father and Wally. They watched as Cisco nodded his head, and then slowly took off his goggles before sighing, and then turning around to his friends.

"Anything?" asked Joe.

Cisco relayed what Harry and Jay told him about the situation on Earth Two, and that Jay would only be able to return once the police had a handle on things.

"So what do we do in the meantime?" asked Caitlin as she rubbed the back of her head, "Zoom encouraged the other Meta's in this Central City to come out of the woodwork, and…"

"I'm guessing that they know the Flash is back," said Joe putting his hands up, and then back down again, "we haven't had an attack in four days so… so that's a good thing. So for right now? We need to use this break and find Barry."

"Cisco," said Wally as he took a seat, "we've used everything we have, right?"

"Yeah," replied Cisco leaning forward on the seat while putting his goggles on the console, "at least on this Earth, and looks like there's been nothing on Earth Two.. and before anyone says anything, I've gone through the whole of Earth Two searching for him before going to Harry."

"Can you check other Earths?" asked a hopeful Iris.

"Yea," replied Cisco, "I'll start…"

"Tomorrow," said Caitlin stepping forward. She saw that Iris was about to say something, as was Cisco, but the blonde interrupted the both of them before insisting, "the two of you haven't been sleeping well, and are exhausted… especially Cisco. I want you two to sleep, and then we'll came back tomorrow and start the search for Barry on different Earths."

"I…"

"Cisco," frowned Caitlin while putting her hands on her hips, "you're going to be no use to Barry if you push yourself to the point of exhaustion. Get some sleep, and then we start again in the morning."

"Caitlin's right," said Joe, with Iris turned to him in surprise, "right now, Cisco's the only one who can find Barry. We need him to be alert and fresh. And all of us need some sleep. Iris needs to get back to work, and.."

"I…" Iris wanted to say that she would quit Central City Picture News so that she could help Cisco, but Joe interrupted her by saying that Barry would never want her to stop her life.

"We need to hope," said Joe as he looked at everyone, and then he looked back at the room containing Barry's speed treadmill. And an idea formed in his mind, a way to show the citizens of Central City that the Flash was still patrolling, while at the same time telling the criminals in the city that hey don't have a free reign on the, unknown to them, defenceless city.

Joe turned to Cisco and asked if they could still project holograms of the Flash running through the streets, just like they did when Barry was powerless. Cisco smiled and leaned back before saying that he knew exactly what Joe was thinking, but they needed someone who was athletic enough to continue running for several minutes at one go.

"I'm so out of shape that I know I can't do it," said Cisco, hoping that he wouldn't be called upon; he didn't wasn't to collapse on the treadmill from exhaustion in case he had to run, "but if no one…"

"I'll do it," said Wally nodding his head, "I'll be the hologram Flash."

"Your classes?" asked Joe.

"I can come here after class and help out," replied Wally as he looked at his father, and then at Caitlin and Cisco, "look, Barry did a lot for this city… he did a lot for me; heck, he gave up his powers for me. It's the least I could do."

"He'll be safe here," said Caitlin looking at a worried Joe, and then at Cisco who was nodding his head before standing up and walking towards Wally, "and we'll make sure he doesn't injure himself or…"

"Injure himself?" asked a worried Joe.

"I think they mean getting a pulled muscle, dad," clarified Iris while Joe shook his head before agreeing with his daughter. Iris then sighed, giving in to the fact that she needed to be patient and that Barry would be found soon. She then turned to Caitlin and Cisco before asking if the hologram Flash would be enough to hold back the Meta-humans who would eventually come out into the open, "some of them would think twice, but what about the others?"

"We have me?" said Cisco putting his hand up sheepishly, "I mean I did do that whole vibration burst thing on Black Siren and…"

"Can you do that again?" asked Caitlin as she raised an eye-brow, "Cisco?"

"No," replied Cisco sheepishly before gathering himself and then saying, "I mean I haven't tried after we found Barry was gone and…"

"Cisco," said Iris gently, "we need you to find Barry, just concentrate on that… Wally's already volunteered to run interference as the Flash."

"But there's a limit to what the hologram could do, right?" asked Wally. Cisco sighed before going on to the disadvantages of the hologram Flash, and went on to say that they needed to be very careful in how they used the equipment. At the end of Cisco's explanations, Wally nodded his head before saying that he was still going to do it, and with the Central City Police Department behind them… the 'Flash' would have some back-up.

**Earth One, 0800 hours, the next day. Five days since Barry's disappearance.**

Backup was what got Cisco thinking as he sat behind the console in the Cortex the next day, the fifth day of Barry being missing. He was holding a warm mug of coffee in his hands while looking at the empty mannequin where Barry usually kept his uniform. They had already tested the hologram device with a couple of robbers last night; Joe was chasing their car while Wally was running on the treadmill. Back on the road, the Flash zipped past Joe's car, and then ran past the vehicle the robber stole. Joe got on the radio to Cisco back at STAR Labs, and asked him to have the hologram do the lightning throw.

"Like that time when Barry didn't have his power?" asked Cisco into the radio while he pressed a few buttons.

"Yes," replied Joe, and a second later the Flash hologram was running in a circle around the car… the trail of lightning preventing the robbers from getting a good view of the road; which led to them crashing into another car.

Back in the present day, Cisco knew they needed to do a lot of work; and that not every meta-human was afraid of the Flash. There would be those who wanted to crawl out of the woodwork and challenge the Scarlet Speedster, and it would be those who the Hologram would not be able to stop. And if anyone found out that the Flash was a hologram, then there would be an even bigger problem. As Cisco swivelled on his chair and looked at the burnt uniform on the equipment that he used to look into the Speed Force, the same equipment he would be using again in a few minutes, he took a sip of coffee while the gears were spinning in his brain. He was so lost in thought, that he hadn't noticed Caitlin walking into the Cortex.

"Hey," said Caitlin sitting next to Cisco, making the young man yelp, before swivelling towards the young woman and telling her not to scare him like that again. Caitlin chuckled before taking a sip of her coffee, and then asked him what was going though that mind of his. Cisco was about to protest when Caitlin interrupted him, "and I know how you look when you get an idea, Mister."

"I was just thinking that I have no idea how long it would take to search the entire multi-verse for one person," whispered Cisco leaning forward as he thought about the scale of what he was trying to do, "which means we don't have anyone looking after Central City."

"Wally's going to be the Flash," Caitlin pointed out by nodding towards the room with the treadmill, "we…"

"I don't doubt Wally," whispered Cisco, "I'm just thinking what do we do when a Meta happens to come out and we don't have a Flash. If one Meta finds out that the Flash is a hologram, then everyone will know. The media will let it out and we'll have a huge problem."

"We just started, Cisco," said Caitlin leaning forward and placing a hand on his shoulder, "I think that…"

"I think we need another hero.. I mean someone with experience," said Cisco as Caitlin shut her mouth tight and just stared at her friend, "Caitlin, Wally will be the Flash. But we need someone else out there 'working' with the Flash in taking down the Meta-humans. Someone who can work alone against big bads, while the police work with the 'Flash' in taking down normal crimes."

"Who do you have in mind?" asked Caitlin.

"Maybe Dig," said Cisco after taking a sip of his coffee, "but we need to talk to Joe, Iris, and Wally first. This has to be a group decision because if we decide on asking Team Arrow, then we need to reveal the secret in the pipeline to Oliver."

"What does the pipe…." Caitlin stopped what she was going to say and stared at Cisco in surprise. She then shook her head saying that they couldn't risk it, that they wouldn't understand the need for keeping this secret away from 'them'.

"They've dealt with weirder stuff this year," countered Cisco, "I mean, come on… Oliver's a Mayor now. Can't get much weirder than that… or the whole magic thing. But, yeah.. we need to talk to Oliver about this. Maybe he could send someone from his team to work with us, I was thinking Dig?"

"Let's run this by the others first," said Caitlin leaning back against her seat back. She knew that Cisco was right, that if they didn't have someone in place… someone real, then they would have a big problem.

**Mayor's Office, Star City, 2100 hours.**

It was one hectic day for Oliver; he had to give one interview after another, followed by meeting with leaders of industry, as well as the police, and fire department officials. Sighing as he looked out at the city outside his window, he could see cleanup crews still repairing the damage done during the riots a few days ago.

However, not everything was lost. People had started to come back to the city, and businesses were slowly re-opening. Oliver knew it would take time, but the damage that Damien Darhk left behind would be repaired. While he was optimistic about the future of the city, he was still worried about it at the same time. He knew that the city needed a guardian, and as Mayor… it was going to be difficult to go out as the Green Arrow.

So, a few days ago, Oliver started to train a team of replacements. While the training was still on-going thanks to Lyla teaching them the basics in the day, while Oliver would take over at night. He was still coming to terms on how to handle both being Mayor of Star City and the Green Arrow, but Oliver resolved to make it work.

And then there was the fact that his friend was gone.

He had kept in touch with Felicity and STAR Labs, and was worried that no one found any sign of Barry on Earth. Oliver insisted that there was no way that Barry would leave all of his friends just like that, not without telling anyone where he was going. The prevailing thought in his mind was that Barry was being held prisoner somewhere, somehow.

But there was no proof of that either.

'Cisco's already checked the planet with his powers,' thought Oliver shaking his head, 'damn it, Barry. Where the hell are you?'

Reaching into his pocket as his military-grade encrypted phone rang, Oliver activated the line and brought it to his ear.

"Yes?"

"Oliver," said Cisco, "it's me."

"Have you found him," Oliver asked as he turned around and leaned on the window, hope in his voice, "Cisco?"

"Nothing yet," said Cisco much to Oliver's disappointment, "I checked a few Earths earlier today before I got a headache, but other than a few where he's already the Flash… and one where he's already married, older, and a father… we haven't found ours yet. Although I have to say that the first Flash I encountered didn't know me, which was a bit weird and very…"

"Cisco," interrupted Oliver, "please, go on."

"Right," said Cisco shaking his head, "look, Oliver. We need help. Without Barry, Central City is open to any meta-humans. We have a plan to show people we have a Flash still running on the streets, but we need someone here physically. Can you send Diggle to watch over while we search for Barry?"

"Dig rejoined the Army, Cisco," said Oliver as Cisco's face fell, "but I think I know someone who needs a purpose again. But I'll have to talk to her."

"Okay," said Cisco, "and there's one more thing, whoever you send… we need you to come as well. You, Felicity, Sara, and Captain Lance."

"Sarah and Captain Lance?" asked a confused Oliver, "why would they…"

"If whoever you're suggesting is going to be working with us," said Cisco, "then they need to know the truth. We'll be placing Meta-humans in the pipeline and.. well…"

"Cisco?" asked Oliver, "why do you need Sarah and Captain Lance?"

"Just trust me, Oliver," said Cisco, "I've already talked to Joe and the others about this, and we're in agreement that if you can send someone to help, then this something you need to see.. so, please?"

"I'll call you back," said Oliver, his trembling over the anticipation over why Cisco needed Captain Lance and Sara at Central City with them. Disconnecting the call, Oliver called another line. He waited until the other person picked up the phone, and then spoke, "Thea, it's me. I know you said you wanted out of this life. But I need your help… Central City needs your help. Can we meet?"

TBC.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Sunnydale, a few minutes after Glory's defeat.**

Buffy limped towards home using the hammer as a cane, a small smile developing on her face as she felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. Glory was dead, and her minions were about no trouble to any one, and all that remained were the Knights of Byzantium. She was hoping that Giles could talk to the Council, and have them back off since Glory was killed. However, she quickly thought against it since the Knights would surely inform the Council about Dawn; that is if they didn't know already.

And even if the Council didn't know that Dawn and the Key were the same, she didn't want to give the Council anything that they could hold over her head as leverage. Buffy knew that she would have to deal with the Knights by herself. It was just then that she heard the clap of thunder before everything around her became a blur. She saw a flash of yellow lightning before she found herself at the walkway to her house with Dawn and Joyce already standing there with drinks in their hands and wearing 'I Heart Miami' T-shirts. A smile on her face, Buffy turned to see a blur with yellow lighting trailing behind it running down the street before make a left turn.

"Buffy!" shouted Dawn, Buffy turning back towards her, as she ran towards her sister, followed by Joyce. The two of them hugged the Slayer as she dropped the hammer onto the ground, and Buffy hugged them back. Dawn was excitedly telling Buffy in her ear, that they were at Miami beach sipping on drinks just before they were returned to Sunnydale, "Flash said you guys killed Glory, so it's over?"

"Yeah," whispered Buffy as Joyce took a step back and placed her hand on the side of Buffy's face just as there was a ringing sound in her jeans' side pocket. Surprised, Dawn pulled back while Buffy, her eyes narrowed in confusion, reached into her pocket and took out a small, black and green, cell phone. She looked at the caller ID which read as 'unknown' before looking to the left, and then to the right, and then back at the phone again. Shaking her head, she connected the call before bringing the phone to her ear.

"Hey," said Barry, his voice still disguised, as he stood right outside the city limits, "sorry about the ride. Thought you'd want to be with your mom and your sister."

"It's fine," said Buffy as she looked at Joyce and Dawn, just as the front door opened and Willow gave a yelp of Joy before running out onto the porch, and then down to the walkway before hugging Joyce and Dawn. It was the same with Tara, and then Xander, Giles, and Anya- the three of whom- simply hugged Joyce and Dawn while Buffy walked a few inches to the left and leaned against a tree on her front lawn. She looked at the smiles, and the looks of relief, on Dawn and Joyce's faces, and then she looked away and down the street, "I guess this phone is so that I could call you if I need anything?"

"Yes," replied Barry as he leaned against the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign, "the number for my phone is the only one there, and I hope that you won't…"

"I won't give it away," said Buffy turning towards Dawn, "but I think Dawn would want to thank you, and Xander's kinda excited to chat with you."

"Maybe another time," smiled Barry, "listen, I'm not familiar with all this magic stuff and… I mean, I guess both Willow and Tara are, so… so can you ask them if they can help me get home?"

"I'll ask," replied Buffy nodding her head while wondering what she'd do if the situation was reversed, "I guess you have people waiting."

"Family," muttered Barry as he nodded his head, "I mean, it's always family, you know."

"I know," whispered Buffy while looking at Dawn excitedly describing catching a blurred glimpse of all the cities they had run through.

"Call me if you need anything, Buffy," said Barry before saying 'goodbye' and then disconnecting the call. He then sped off towards Santa Barbara for a patrol, and then around Los Angeles where he stopped a mugging here and there, a few car chases by the police, and a few robberies, before he did a round in Sunnydale where he stopped two muggers and delivered them to the police station before getting back to his camp in the desert.

Taking off his cowl, Barry sat down before starting a fire, and then looking up at the clear blue sky. His mind wandered off to Iris, and hoped that she was doing alright; while hoping that Cisco was doing everything he could to find and then return him home.

He so wanted to go home.

While Barry was sitting under open sky eating from a can, Buffy and the others had already gone back into the house where she told them that The flash left her a phone as a way to contact him should there be any trouble. Giles nodded his head, and said that he could be a great ally for Buffy. However the Slayer told Giles what she had told the Flash, that she was the one with the responsibility to protect people against the supernatural, and that he should take care of the human crime.

"Which is where the phone comes in," said Xander motioning at Buffy, who nodded her head, "can I.. you know… borrow it, or.."

"Xander," Buffy chuckled while shaking her head, "no."

"Come on, Buff," said Xander motioning at all of them with his hands, "you guys got to hang out."

"We were under attack, Xander," said Willow with a smirk before she shrugged, "not exactly 'hanging out', and you were working."

Xander narrowed his eyes at his best friend, who then stuck her tongue out at him before chuckling. Xander then turned back to Buffy again and asked if she knew who he really was. Buffy remained silent on that issue, she had her hand in her pocket… brushing her finger along the phone and wondering if she should ask Willow if she could try and trace the signal if she made a call to the Flash. Buffy remembered her doubts about the Speedster; she remembered thinking that he was a demon from another dimension… but she couldn't forget the decision he made to prevent Glory from using Dawn to open a doorway. Buffy knew that there was nothing she could have done to stop him from taking Dawn away, along with Glory, and then opening a doorway. However she mentally corrected herself while Willow and the others were still talking among themselves, she could have stopped Flash with Willow and Tara's magic… it would have taken some time, but she was sure that Willow and Tara would have been able to slow him down.

'But he didn't do anything to Dawn, and he had every chance,' thought Buffy as she glanced at her sister before looking back at the carpet while still brushing her fingers on the phone's surface, 'in fact he protected her and mom by getting them away from Sunnydale, and danger. I can't forget that.'

"I don't know who he is," Buffy said in answer to Xander's question about the Flash's real identity, "all I know is that he helped me save mom and Dawn, and that's all I need to know. Tara, Willow… he asked me to ask you if there's a way to get him home. He did hear you guys talking about sending Olaf away, so…"

"We sent Olaf somewhere where the planet is full of trolls, Buffy," said Willow while Anya nodded her head, "we figured he'd be home there."

"A targeted spell like what we want to do for Flash is nearly impossible," said Anya, "I can't even imagine where to begin. The multiverse is infinite, searching for one world among all of that? I don't know."

"Can you guys try?" asked Buffy as she leaned forward.

"You want him to leave?" asked Dawn, "what if Glory and her…"

"They're not coming back," assured Buffy as she looked at her sister, "I promise, Dawnie… she and her minions will never harm you again."

It would be a day later that Buffy had to eat those words. Dawn was still in danger as the Knights of Byzantium surrounded their home late in the afternoon, with a lot of the neighbours believing that it was a scene from a movie with at least fifty armoured men on horseback surround the small house, as well as more men with armour and swords in their hands as they surrounded the house. Willow put up a magical shield around the house, one which Tara used her magic to reinforce while Buffy walked out of the front door, already having told everyone to stay in the house, and onto the walkway. She stopped just before the magical shield, and glared at one of the armoured men with a tattoo on his forehead.

"Get out," said Buffy, her hand in her pocket, while she glared at him, and then at the other knights surrounding the shield while three men in brown cloaks were brought to the edge of the shield. She heard the three of them saying that the witches had no chance against God, and then raised their hands and started to pray. Buffy then turned her attention back to the man with the tattoo, who had his head tilted while looking at her, and she repeated herself, "if you're the leader, then get out. If you're not the leader, then still… get out."

"I am General Gregor, leader of the Knights of Byzantium," said the man in armour, flanked by two other knights, "and we know that you protect the Key. We know, thanks to one of our brothers who had come across it a few days ago, that the Key was formed into a human being and brought under your protection. Bring her out, surrender her to us."

"She is an innocent," said Buffy as Joyce stood at the doorway. Gregor caught sight of her, and told Joyce that Dawn was never supposed to be real, that she was a danger to the world. He then said that they would soon forget about her once she, the Key, was destroyed.

"The Beast cannot be allowed to have the Key," said Gregor.

"If you mean Glory," said Buffy, "she's dead."

"Impossible!" exclaimed Gregor as he glared at Buffy, "this is a distraction, and…"

"The human host is dead," said Buffy while she took out her phone discretely, "you can check on it. The morgue should have his body, her host's name is Ben Wilkinson. You guys can do that, can't you?"

"You can't have…" said Gregor surprised. He then shook his head and told Buffy that the Key was still a danger, and it needed to be destroyed.

"When was it supposed to be used," asked Buffy, "the Key, when is it supposed to be used?"

"It does not matter," said Gregor shaking his head, "whether or not the Beast is really dead, the Knight's duty is the destruction of the Key. I am only sorry that the monks made it into human form."

"She's innocent," exclaimed Joyce, overhearing everything as she walked towards Buffy, "you're not going to take her."

"I have an army," said Gregor as he looked at Joyce, and then at Buffy, "you are the Slayer, you realize what's at stake for the safety of this world. And even if you refuse, even though I know we are fighting on the same side, our duty is to kill anyone and thing protecting the Key. It is…"

"You're talking about a human life!" hissed Buffy as she pressed a button on the phone and then brought it to her ear. She knew there was no chance she could take on all of the knights, and there was no way she was involving the Council in this fight. The Knights knew who Dawn really was, and they could inform the Council if they were called, and thus bringing Buffy into a war with two fronts. It was something she wasn't ready for, so she had no choice.

"Hey," said Buffy into the phone while she glared at Gregor, "remember I said that you could handle the human stuff in the city? Yeah, well…. got some Monty Python rejects surrounding my house. Yea… they're after Dawn. They're gonna keep coming after her. You think you... ah… two minutes? See ya. Oh, oh, there's a shield around the house and… yea, that's right… a shield. A real life magical shield. Yeap… I'll call them… cool… see ya."

"What are you….?" asked Gregor as Buffy put up a hand and dialled another number, Gregor was trying to interfere again when Buffy told him to stay silent.

"I'm on the phone," said Buffy as she brought the phone to her ear while Dawn, Xander and the others stood out on the porch as the Knights began attacking the shield. When the phone connected to the number she dialled, Buffy spoke, "yes, I have an emergency. My address is 1630 Revello Drive, and I have, like, sixty to seventy naked men just dancing on the street."

Gregor and Joyce turned to Buffy confused as she told the 911 operator that they were harassing her, her family, and her friends, "and my sister's like sixteen. I mean, these guys are from a gang or something. Some cult called the Knight of Byzantium and…. this is like sexual harassment for her… they're just here naked, you know? So can you send someone… now? Ok, cool."

"What have you done?" asked Gregor as he looked on confused, "you.. you think magic tricks can stop us, or…"

"Nothing magic," said Buffy, "just called a friend."

Buffy then held onto a confused Joyce, and then turned and walked back towards the porch. But not before stopping halfway, turning around, and then telling Gregor that she warned the Knights to leave them alone. Buffy turned back with her mother, and then walked onto the porch… with Xander and Giles asking what just happened. Tara looked at the smile on Buffy's face before she turned and then leaned against one of the porch columns, and waved at Gregor who was looking around at all the knights. The expression n his face was that of extreme confusion, before looking back at Buffy.

"You are putting the world in danger," said Gregor.

"And in one and a half minutes, you people will be placed on the Sex Offenders Database," whispered Buffy.

"Buffy?" asked Willow.

"Buffy?" asked Joyce, "who did you call?"

Buffy simply smiled while looking at her wristwatch. It was a minute later that everyone heard the sound of thunder, followed by yellow lighting swirling around all of the knights and the horses. The Scoobies saw the lighting toss the weapons onto the street. The lightning then made its way around all of the Knights that surrounded the house once again. Dawn smiled at the Flash, who stopped right at the edge of the shield, and pressed his palms forward until they reached the shield, which flared orange.

"Dawnie," said Buffy looking over her shoulder, "get back into the house, you really don't wanna see what happens next."

"But…."

"Mom," said Buffy at Joyce, "trust me, take Dawn into the house, please?"

"Come on, Honey," said Joyce gently as she placed her hands on Dawn's shoulders. They were about to turn and head into the house when Barry stopped.

"This is so cool!" cried Barry in his disguised voice while Buffy nodded her head at him. She told him that Willow and Tara have something to tell him, but he needed to leave for now since the police were called. Barry nodded and waved at her just as all the knights armour fell onto the road.

"Oh" said Joyce.

"My" continued Xander.

"Lord," Giles completed while staring at the mixture of nude and briefs wearing knights just as the Flash zoomed away.

"Ewwwww," cried Willow as she turned away from the sight before he and placed her hands over her eyes, "my eyes! My eyes!"

Anya just stared curiously while Xander, Giles, and Joyce turned the stunned Dawn around. As for Tara, she looked away while saying that she had something to do in the house. As for Buffy, she glared at the panicking Gregor who was bending down to pick up pieces of his armour to hide his modesty, and told him to stay away from her family.

"You come after Dawn, there'll be more than this," she hissed just as sirens rang from the distance. Buffy and the others walked back into the house, and closed the door behind them. Some of the knights ran off, and were immediately arrested, while some who had picked up their weapons, including Gregor, were either shot or Tasered as they ran towards the police. Some did take off in horseback, and they were the ones who would later be taken by Barry to the Police Station. It was later that night, once everyone in the house had made their statements, including Dawn, that Barry returned.

"They won't bother you again," he said as he looked at Dawn, "sorry if you saw something you weren't supposed to."

"I saw a lot of…"

"Dawn."

"Sorry, mom," said Dawn.

"Willow and Tara have something for you," said Buffy as Barry, in his uniform, looked at her with hope in his eyes, "I'm sorry, it's not good."

**STAR Labs, Earth One, the next day, 0920 hours.**

Nearly six days had passed in Sunnydale, with Barry moving into an apartment in Sunnydale and having to start teaching the next day. That was the day that Barry walked into his class, and looked at the students behind their workstations at the science lab.. Barry caught sight of Dawn, who grinned at the young man, before he walked to his desk and placed his bag down.

"Hey," said Barry with his hands in his pockets while looking around at his students, "my name is Barry Allen, and I'll be your new science teacher."

In the meantime, on Earth One, a day had passed where Caitlin, Joe, and Cisco were waiting at one of the entrances to STAR Labs. They were watching a car driving through the gate while Joe was asking Cisco if they had managed to speak to Dr. Tina McGee about working at STAR Labs since Mercury Labs was destroyed in the Meta Human attack eight days ago. Caitlin said that Tina was interested in working at STAR Labs, especially since Wells had returned to his Earth; and with Barry gone.. she felt that she could help find him and bring him back.

Joe nodded his head when Cisco said that she was going to come in tomorrow. They then turned towards the car which stopped in front of them, the doors opening to reveal Oliver, Felicity, Detective Lance, who was in the drivers seat, and finally, Thea stepping out of the car. Felicity gave a small smile before rushing forward and giving Caitlin, then Joe, and Cisco a tight hug.

"Any other news about Barry?" asked Oliver as he shook Joe's hand.

"I looked through a few more Earths this morning," replied Cisco shaking his head while Joe and Caitlin welcomed Detective Lance and Thea to Central City, "but still no dice."

"I was thinking," said Oliver as he stepped back while Felicity looked at them with sadness in her eyes, especially when she looked at the building behind them and imagined Barry suddenly running out and welcoming them. She was hopeful that his disappearance was just a very bad joke.. and she was going to slap him on the back of his head when he comes back. However, there was a part of her that knew he was really gone from this Earth; that he was probably trapped on another Earth, and images flowed in her mind of the Flash being tortured. Shaking her head while she listened to Oliver continuing to speak, she heard Caitlin welcoming Thea and Detective Lance to the City, "I may know someone who can help but… he uses a different way to… well… let's just say he's unique."

"Unique?" asked Joe, "you do realize we deal with Meta-humans."

"What my brother is trying to say," said Thea as she put her hands into her coat as a breeze went by, "that this guy is kind of an expert on magic."

"Magic?" asked Caitlin, "as in Damien Darhk magic?"

"Magic as in 'he was able to restore Sara's soul after being resurrected using the Lazarus Pit' magic," explained Felicity, "yeah… he was the one who did that. Yeah, Sara didn't exactly return with her soul."

"I was there the day she was restored," added Thea much to the amazement of team Flash, "and yes, the pit is really called that."

"Anyway," said Oliver dryly, "I've tried to reach out to him, but a friend of a mutual friend called to say he's in hell."

"Ok," asked Joe as his voice trailed off, "you mean hell as in…."

"The real deal," said Felicity her hands waving all over the place, "you know… fiery pit and all… yeah…"

"No-one's sure when he'll be back," said Oliver turning to Cisco, "but maybe he could help you search for Barry."

"At this moment," said Cisco, "we'll try anything, no matter how it sounds, to find Barry."

"Before we continue," said Detective Lance, "why am I needed here?"

"Cisco," asked Oliver, "what's going on?"

"Where's Sara?" asked Caitlin noticing that the youngest Lance daughter wasn't around. Oliver didn't know if Team Flash were aware of Rip Hunter collecting Ray, Sarah, Captain Cold, Heat wave, and Firestorm to travel through time so that they could stop Vandal Savage; so all he told them was that she was off on a mission and was unreachable.

"Alright," said Joe before nodding at Cisco and Caitlin. He then turned towards Team Arrow, and asked them to follow him and the others back into the building behind them. As they walked through the hallways, Cisco was telling them about the battle with Zoom and about the Meta-apocalypse – Meta-humans from Earth-Two wrecking havoc in Central City eight days ago. Thea nodded her head, saying she heard about it.. but only after the near disaster with Damien Darhk; leading to Oliver apologizing for not being able to make it due to Team Arrow starting to fix the damage caused by Darhk and his minions on the city.

"It was tough having all these super-powered people from another Earth nearly tear down the city," said Joe as they approached the hallway leading to the pipeline. They walked onto the ramp that led to a closed door, and stopped. Oliver knew what was behind the door, a prison where the most dangerous Meta-humans were being locked up while the rest were in specially designed cells in Iron Heights Prison; he knew it was a miracle that the meta-humans weren't released during the riot that released Damien Darhk, if they were.. then it was highly likely there would have been more deaths. But there was a part of him that hoped they did escape, because if they did, then STAR Labs would have gotten a warning and Barry would have been there to save Laurel when he, Thea, and Diggle could not. Shaking his head, he looked at Thea while listening intently to Cisco describing the pipe-line, and that some of the more dangerous Earth Two meta-humans were being held there.

"Without due process?" asked Detective Lance as he stared questioningly at Joe. The Central City detective told Detective Lance that these Meta's were highly dangerous; that one could teleport away before she could be even given a trial, another one was able to turn into a gaseous state and kill, while there was another meta human that collapsed two buildings, and in turn killing two hundred people, and injuring several others.

"You remember what happened to Mercury Labs?" asked Cisco.

"It collapsed," replied Oliver while Cisco walked over to a screen on the right wall and pressed on the screen.

"A meta-human used a scream to level the building," said Caitlin as Cisco pressed his palm on the screen, and the door started to open.

"A scream," asked Oliver in disbelief. The man hoped that he was wrong, Barry had told him about Earth Two, about how they had doppelgangers on that Earth who were the evil versions of themselves; Caitlin was Killer Frost, Firestorm was Deathstorm, Cisco was Reverb, and so on. So when Caitlin mentioned that a building was brought down by a scream, Oliver's mind clicked into place the reason that Team Flash needed the Lances in STAR Labs, why they wanted Thea to know what she was getting into since the most dangerous Meat-humans would be held in the pipeline to protect the public. Oliver looked at Detective Lance, who was just behind him, as the door opened, and he watched him take a step back in shock. He then glanced at Thea and Felicity who had their hands over their mouths stifling the gasps that escaped, and that was how Oliver knew. He turned towards the cell as Joe rushed passed him and held onto Detective Lance who was holding onto the wall while grasping his chest at the sight before him.

A woman wearing an all black outfit smirking at all of them.

"No," said Felicity shaking her eyes, tears in her eyes.

"H.. how?" asked Thea as she glared at Cisco and Caitlin, and then she turned to her brother whose face was emotionless. But his eyes and fists gave away what he was really feeling; he was angry. But before she could say anything, Oliver was the one who spoke first.

"Who are you?" he asked while looking at the woman in black. He was telling himself that this wasn't his Laurel Lance; he kept on repeating that while being engaged at how cruel the universe was being at that moment.

"What.. what are you saying?" asked Detective Lance as he, enraged, jerked away from Joe and strode towards the smirking young woman behind the glass cell, "it's Laurel… get her out of there now!"

"Detective," growled Oliver as he looked at the anger in the man's eyes, "that is not Laurel."

"What are you saying?" asked Thea as she approached the screen on the wall, looking for a way to open the cell door, just as Caitlin placed her hand on the female archer's shoulder and asked her to calm down, "this.. this is… why?! Get her out, and…"

"Daddy," screamed Laurel as she slammed her fists against the cell. The thuds of her fists banging on the glass getting attention of the group, "help me! Get me out of here!"

"Get her out!" screamed Detective Lance as he pointed at Cisco, "get her out now, or…"

"Daddy!" screamed Laurel her face twisted in fear, although internally she was laughing at the doppelganger of her father, "I.. I was brought back. I don't remember how… just… please! Help me, Daddy!"

Oliver heard everyone speaking over the others, all wanting to be heard at the same time with Team Arrow demanding that Laurel be let out.. that how could they do this to a friend; while Team Flash was saying that this wasn't their Laurel. Not the one that they knew and loved.

"Shut up!" screamed Oliver as he looked around at everyone, and then glared at Laurel again. He could see right through her deception; he had seen those eyes before on Deathstroke and all the others who harmed his friends and family.

"That is not Laurel," reiterated Joe as he held back Detective Lance, "not the one you know."

"She's a poor imitation," said Cisco at Thea before looking back at Laurel whose fearful face turned to a smirk, and then a smile.

"Daddy dearest," said Laurel, "hi."

"Laurel?" said Detective Lance as his voice slightly broke.

"Who are you?" asked Oliver his hands rolled into fists.

"Ollie, Ollie, Ollie," said Laurel shaking her head, "I see you're still alive. You're just lucky that I didn't come to Starling once I arrived on this Earth. I would have ripped your throat out for what you did with my sister before you died."

"Oli?" asked Thea, "what's going on?"

"Meet Black Siren," said Caitlin as she glared at the menacing smile on Laurel's face, "a Meta-human from Earth Two… the one who used her powers to cause the buildings to collapse."

"Oh dear God," said Felicity.

"You… I don't know," said Laurel while tilting her head at Felicity, and then at Thea, "hello Thea, did you know that your father's alive on my Earth. Let me go? And I'll force them to…"

"Shut up," said Thea in disbelief while shaking her head.

"Laurel," said Detective Lance as he gently pushed away Joe, and walked towards the opening to the inside of the Pipe line, "why.. why are you… what happened?"

"I'm not going to tell you my life story, daddy," Lauren hissed the word 'daddy' causing a stabbing pain in Detective Lance's chest, "how about you tell me how the little birdie died? Were you there? Or did you miss it? How about you Oliver? You see the Birdie-Canary die?"

"She.. she's going to here the entire time?" asked Thea softly while she stared at Laurel.

"I not going anywhere, little princess," mocked Laurel while she stared at Thea, and then a smile formed, "you planning to visit me every day? Aww… that's real sweet."

"Close it off," demanded Oliver as he and Laurel stared at each other "close it up, now".

"You were the start, Ollie!" screamed Laurel as she slammed her fists on the glass before jumping back and releasing a sonic scream. The scream was absorbed by the cell, and then laurel slammed her hand against the glass cell door while the pipeline doorway slid slowly down, "you made me fall! Face me! You're the reason I exist! FACE ME, Ollie! FACE ME! I will get out of here and do what I should have done! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!"

With the door sliding shut, Laurel's voice vanished as her cell retreated back into the particle accelerator housing.

'Yeah," Cisco answered Thea's question as he turned around, before whispering, "we wanted you to know everything before you made a decision."

"There… there has to be something…" begged Detective Lance.

"Were you guys going to hide her from us?" asked a stunned Felicity as she looked at Team Flash, "even Barry was involved in hiding her?"

"All of us agreed," said Caitlin as she approached Felicity, "she's not our Laurel, Felicity. Our Lauren was light, she was love, she was brave. Black Siren in the opposite… she's everything that our Laurel was not."

"Thea," said Oliver as he looked at his stunned sister, "this is your decision."

"On one condition," said Thea looking at her brother, and then at Cisco and the others, "I get to talk to Lau… Black Siren. I have to believe she's not beyond redemption, I… I have to."

"But only from the Cortex," said Joe, and Thea nodded her head in agreement.

"And… and I'd like to talk to her too," whispered Detective Lance, "please."

"From the Cortex, detective," said Joe gently.

"Cisco," whispered Oliver, his voice suddenly sounding tired, "maybe… maybe we could have some coffee before… before we continue?"

"Yeah," agreed Cisco, "umm… this way."

TBC

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Sunnydale Middle School, a week later; 1530 hours.**

"Alright, people," said Barry over the sound of the school bell ringing as his students starting closing their books and getting off their chairs beef pushing them back, the legs scratching on the floor. However, no one heard him as they started to talk to their friends, and all he could do was shake his head and smile. He caught a glimpse of Dawn looking at him with a small smile on her face, before turning to her lab partner and shrugging her shoulders. Barry coughed before putting his fingers on his lips, and then whistling out loud.

The shrill whistle made everyone stop talking and moving, and then look back at him. With a smirk on the side of his lips, the young man then spoke, "thank you. Now, remember to get the rest of the chapter done by tomorrow. There will be a quiz, and…"

Barry smiled at tall of the grumbling students who started to walk towards the door while Barry continued speaking, "and enjoy yourselves." He then walked behind his desk and packed up all his teaching materials as Dawn and another young girl stopped by, the dark haired girl telling the blonde that she'll see her later on. Barry looked up at the girl patting Dawn on the shoulder before waving at Barry, who waved back, and then left out the door.

"Yes, Dawn?" asked Barry as he slung his backpack over his shoulder, "what's up?"

"Just wanted to say that we haven't seen much of you, is all," replied Dawn as she walked out into the hallway with Barry by her side, "I mean ever since the gas explosion at the Cultural Fair three weeks ago you've been…"

"Well, technically I do see you every day," said Barry with a chuckle as they walked out of the school exit, and onto a large walkway with a lawns full of green grass on either side full of students either standing and talking, playing football, or just simply gathering in groups. At the roadside, Barry saw a familiar black SUV, and smiled as the passenger window went down and Joyce leaned sideways and waved her hand while calling to Barry.

"Hey, Mrs. Summers," said Barry waving his hand as Dawn got into the car, and closed the passenger side door before looking out at the young man, "hope you're doing okay, still going to the doctor?"

"Yes, Barry," smiled Joyce nodding her head as more students started to walk out of the front doors of the school, and within the crowd of young people were some of the teachers who were heading for their cars, preparing to leave for home. Barry turned back to Joyce and nodded to one of the bike racks at the front pavement of the school before telling the older blonde that he had to go back to his apartment; that he was supposed to be meeting a friend.

"Why don't you bring your friend and come over for dinner, Barry," said Joyce as Dawn nodded her head excitedly, "we haven't seen you much."

"Thanks for the offer, Mrs. Summers," said Barry as he rubbed the back of his head nervously, "this is actually a pretty big date with a friend from home, and… I mean, I haven't seen her in a while and I'd like to make this a… I mean… like a date, you know?"

"Right," nodded Joyce in understanding.

"Rain-check?" asked Barry looking at Joyce and then Dawn, and then back at Joyce again with a hopeful look on his face.

"You got it," replied Joyce before she looked at the bicycle, and then back at Barry, "how about you put the bike on the rack, and I'll give you a ride home."

"Thanks, Mrs. Summers," said Barry shaking his head, "but I like feeling the wind on my face while I'm riding the bike."

"It looks so clean," said Dawn as she stared at the boke, and then at Barry, "you got it when you started working here, right?"

"I clean it every day," chuckled Barry, "gives me focus."

Barry tapped his hands on the door of the Jeep before stepping back, and then telling Joyce and Dawn that he was staying for a little while longer before heading home to get ready for his date. Joyce waved at the young man, telling him that he and his friend were welcome for dinner before she drove off. Barry stood there waving before turning around and then walking towards the school, all the while checking to make sure that the Jeep had already gone out of his sight. Stopping on the pathway, Barry changed direction and headed for the bicycle while waving at some of his other students and fellow teachers who drove past.

Once he reached the bicycle, Barry looked at it and then at the spot where Joyce's jeep had just made a turn onto the main road. He then bent down and released the lock around the front wheel and then, once it was off, he wrapped the chain around the seat. He then got on it, and rode the bicycle around the school where there was no-one present. He then got off the bike, and picked it just off the ground before running at super speed towards his apartment.

Stopping at his front door, and placing the tyres of the bicycle on the carpeted floor, Barry sighed and shook his head at the lies he just told Joyce and Dawn, 'all they were doing was being nice.'

Barry reached into his pocket and took out a key, he then unlocked the door and walked in with the bicycle; the very same one he bought just before starting work at the school. It was the only thing he could afford at the time, and it was a ruse that would convince people of the way he arrived at, and left, the school everyday. He knew that was a more plausible excuse than arriving at, and leaving the school with no transportation; the bicycle was his alibi.

He walked into his small studio apartment, and turned on the lights. Heading for the wall next to the closed door, Barry leaned the bicycle against it, and then looked at the walls; walls that had some hand drawn pictures of Henry, Nora, Cisco, Caitlin, Joe, and Iris hung up with tape. He looked at the pictures of Iris, and then at the ones of his father and mother, and hung his head before turning around… sighing, and then heading for the fridge.

Barry's tent, the same one he had been using in the desert outside Sunnydale, was folded in one corner as he took out a beer, opened it, and then drank while leaning back against the cream coloured wall. He slipped down onto the carpeted floor and looked at the pictures on the wall, and then at his air mattress that was covered in paper. His entire apartment was spartan; all in the hope that Cisco would find him soon. He wanted to have no connections to anyone or anything, and as Barry looked around the apartment, he knew that he was successful in having very little in his life on this particular Earth.

But there was a part of him that was already feeling lonely from not being around people who he could be close to; he didn't have a group like Team Flash on this Earth, and while one part wanted it to be that way, thus the non-existent date with a fictional young woman. However, there was another part telling him that he needed to be around people… that if he didn't, then he'd be getting depressed.

'And distracted,' thought Barry to himself as he leaned the back of his head on the wall behind him, 'even when I'm teaching, I'm not there. I am always hoping for Cisco to show up… hoping for me to just speed out of here and into a breach that he'll create, and I'd be home with Iris. That's what I want… I want to go home. Cisco, where are you?'

Barry splayed his legs outward and reached into his other pocket, and took out a phone. It had the number of the phone he had given Buffy, but there was no call to him after that day with the people that Willow and the others called the Knights of Byzantium.

'I guess she's doing good by herself,' thought Barry to herself as he looked at Iris' picture, and then at the phone. He put it down on his side, and then just looked straight ahead. He was all alone on this Earth, and he didn't know what he could do to alleviate it. It was a few hours later that Barry woke up, lying on the floor right outside his kitchen, and next to the fridge. HE got up to his feet slowly before stretching his arms over his head, and then picking up the beer bottle. Barry threw it in his thrash bin, and then rubbed his hands together and opened the fridge again, only to find stacks of frozen food. Sighing, he was about to reach for one of the red coloured boxes when he stopped and closed the door.

Barry slumped his shoulders, and turned around looking at the pictures of his friends.

"What do I do, guys?" Barry whispered as he looked at Cisco's picture; followed then by another one he drew of himself and the scientist standing back to back. He then looked at the picture of Iris sitting on the stairs of the West residence's front porch, a smile on her face and her hair flowing in the wind, "a little over two months, guys. I'm stuck here for two months and… and I don't know what to do. I'm helping here and there but… but I've avoided creating new friendships because… because I'm afraid that when I have to leave, I have to say goodbye to these people. And… and I know that coming back here is going to be difficult thanks to all of the meta-humans we have and… that's why I don't want to make any…"

Barry just sighed, put the picture on his mattress and rubbed the back of his head with both hands.

"Now I'm talking to my pictures," said Barry to himself as he turned and started to pace on the floor. All the while, he was looking at the sun setting outside the window before making a decision to go out and do a patrol; hopeful that it would help to clear his head. Barry then took a shower, following which he then ran out of the apartment in super speed. He ran around the city helping where he could before getting out towards Santa Barbara where he spent some time before heading to Los Angeles where he managed to stop a shoot-out, a mass shooting in an office building, and then a few muggings during the thirty minutes he spent there covering the entire city. Barry then zoomed out of the city and headed to Sunnydale where he made another round of patrols. This time, he ran past Buffy's house where, with everything standing still, Barry watched Xander and Anya getting into the house as Dawn opened the door. He caught a glimpse of Joyce in the living room with Tara and Willow, and Buffy in the dining room looking at some food.

All of them were smiling; and it made Barry long even more to get home. But he also knew that isolating himself was only going to make him upset and depressed. So, he made a decision.

**The Summers Residence, at that exact time.**

Xander and Anya were walking into the Summers house, with Dawn holding the door open just as a bolt of lightning shot past. Dawn rushed out of the house and into the porch, pushing past Xander and Anya who turned looking confused at the young woman who reached the railing and grinned. She watched the lighting, which Xander and Anya also caught a glimpse of as it made a left turn into another street, and grinned before turning around.

"He's here," said Dawn with a smile on her face.

"He just passed by us," said Anya shaking her head as she pulled Xander into the door, "so either he's doing his job, or stalking us."

"I'd like to think he's protecting us," said Dawn as she leaned out of the porch, hoping to catch another glimpse of the Flash. When he didn't pass by again, Dawn sighed and then turned around to see Xander stepping into the house and holding the door open for her. She walked into the home while Xander waved at Joyce, Tara, and then at Willow while Buffy said 'hi' and then went back to the kitchen to get some plates.

"Mom," Buffy yelled as she got into the kitchen, "you still want to hold a place for Barry?"

"I think he'll be coming tonight," Joyce replied as she walked into the dining room, and then rushed to the kitchen to check on her pie, "I talked to him today when I picked up Dawn, he said he might be coming... but I could see in his eyes that he wants to come."

"I don't think he's coming," said Buffy as she carried some plates while Giles walked down the stairs from the second floor while wiping his hands. He then walked into the dining room where he heard Buffy telling Joyce that they had asked Barry multiple times to come by for dinner, and that he refused every time.

Giles was about to head for the kitchen when he heard Buffy's voice getting closer, followed by Joyce who was telling her daughter that Barry seemed to be lonely.

"If he was lonely," said Buffy as she walked past Giles and placed the plates on the table while Joyce put a pot roast in the middle, "then he'd be coming by, I… mom, I'm glad he was there to save your life. I can't thank him enough for that, but we've asked him to come…"

It was just then that there was a knock on the door, leading to Buffy looking around at everyone before looking at Joyce, "don't tell me it's Spike."

"I seriously doubt Spike would knock on the door, speaking of whom… where is he?" said Giles as Dawn rushed to the front door, and opened it before stepping back.. her eyes wide in surprise.

"Dawnie? Who…?" asked Joyce as she reached the open door and smiled at Barry standing on the porch in a pair of jeans and a shirt while holding onto a box, "Barry?"

"Hi, Mrs Summers, you asked and… well, I hope you don't mind me coming by a little late," said Barry as a surprised Buffy looked at him as he handed the box to Joyce, and then stepped into the house with Dawn closing the door behind him.

"Where's your friend?" asked Joyce.

"She wasn't able to come," said Barry with a hint of sadness in his eyes before shaking his head, and then telling Joyce if she didn't mind if he arrived by himself.

"Of course not," chuckled Joyce.

"Barry," smiled Tara as he approached him with Willow by her side, "hi."

"Hi," he replied as he waved at Tara and Willow, while Dawn said that she didn't hear him come in on his bike.

"I ride really silent," said Barry before looking at Joyce, "hope you don't mind, I have it leaning against your garage."

"No, of course not," replied Joyce as she headed to the dining room, and then to the kitchen, "you're Just in time."

Barry caught the scent of home cooked food in the air, just like the one and only other time he was in this house, after Joyce returned home from the hospital. Barry looked at the spread and thought about dinners with Joe and the others back home; but he quickly pushed those thoughts away, mentally telling himself that those thoughts would only serve to depress him even more.

"I could eat like a horse," said Xander as he headed for the table, with Anya following close behind him. Dawn walked past Barry, telling him that she was glad he came by before telling the young man that he was sitting next to her.

Leaving one seat open for him, Tara and Willow then sat down... Tara telling the young man that it was good to see him again. Barry smiled and nodded his head at her before turning towards Buffy who stood next to him while Giles sat down next to Joyce who was waving the both of them over to the table.

"I thought you wouldn't be coming," whispered Buffy as they walked towards the table while Willow and Xander were calling out for their sides, "you surprised me, Barry."

"I try," he replied just as the back door opened, and a man with a British accent in a black coat, his face bruised, walked into the dining room through the kitchen. Barry looked at the man, and then at Buffy who was frowning at him while the others stopped talking and just stared.

"Spike," hissed Buffy as she strode forward before grabbing the man by the shoulders and then turned him around. She pushed him towards the kitchen while he looked back at Barry, and then at the food.

"Who's the new guy, and I'm hungry," said Spike as they reached the kitchen.

While Giles told Barry not to worry, and take a seat, Buffy pushed Spike out the back door and then slammed the door shut behind her. She demanded to know what he was doing at the house while crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the vampire. HE told her that he heard about Glory's defeat, and that he wanted to congratulate her.

"I wasn't the only one there," said Buffy as she looked away from Spike.

"Oh, I heard," chuckled Spike as Buffy looked back at him, "well, now that the danger's gone… there is…"

"You not telling Glory about Dawn being the Key changes nothing between us," said Buffy as Spike leaned on the railing and smirked at her, "especially when you had a nerd create a copy that you… ewww… I don't even want to think what you did with it."

"So you're telling me that the kiss didn't mean anything?" asked Spike as he walked up to her and leaned into her face, "you remember t he one? When you pretended to be the Buffy-bot… I knew it was the real you just then. I felt the heat from your lips, I heard your heart beat jumping and…"

"I don't love you," said Buffy taking a step back shaking her head, "that kiss meant nothing, it was just to…."

"I can hear your heart beat racing when I mentioned the kiss," said Spike as he rushed down the stairs and, when he reached the grass, he turned and smirked at Buffy who was glaring at him, "you think that the plain old Tom inside the house is going to be what you wanted Riley to be? Please, Slayer… you and I know that you prefer the danger… and not the boring."

"Go home, Spike," said Buffy, "and he's just a friend."

"See you around, Slayer," said Spike before running off into the darkness. Buffy wondered if he had just come by to get her pissed off before she turned and opened the door to the house. There was no doubt she was surprised that Spike never told Glory about Dawn, but she felt disgusted at even thinking about kissing the very vampire that had tried to kill her on so many occasions. Closing the door behind her, Buffy heard laughter from the dining room as Barry was telling everyone about the time he and his friend, Caitlin, from New York were drunk and had spent the entire night singing Karaoke.

As she listened in from the kitchen, Buffy knew that Spike was right about one thing – the few times she's been around Barry, he reminded her too much about Riley; in that both of them were in danger form the supernatural.

Especially Barry since Riley had some military training.

And there was no way she was even kissing Spike again. Shaking her head, Buffy sighed before giving into the fact that she should enjoy her family life with Dawn, her mother, and the Scoobies… ultimately those were the only people she really loved. The ones who mattered to her more than anything, and she resolved to protect them as long as she breathed air.

TBC.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**The Summers Residence, Sunnydale, Twenty minutes later.**

Family.

That's what Barry was recalling as he watched the interactions between Joyce and the others around the dining table. It brought back memories of having a meal around the table with Joe and Iris, and then later Wally; or being with Cisco and Caitlin in the Cortex having lunch or at a club for drinks. It had only been twenty minutes since Buffy walked back in through the kitchen and sat down next to Barry before asking everyone what she missed. Willow then told Buffy the story of drunk Barry and Caitlin, and the song they shared.

"And then they went home and smooched," chuckled Willow as Xander laughed while Barry's eyes opened wide before he waved his hands saying that Caitlin was just a good friend. He then sat back while the others started to talk about their lives, with Buffy and Dawn rounding back up on Joyce and her date the next day; to which Willow and Tara leaned forward to know more about the man that had asked her out once again. It would be later, an hour later, that Buffy would have to suddenly leave, telling Barry that she had to go meet a friend.

"This late at night?" asked Barry as he looked at the clock above them on the wall, and then at Buffy, feigning surprise.

"I actually have to meet this friend for a…"

"Anti-crime patrol…. You know, like a neighbourhood watch," chipped Willow as Buffy looked at her, and then back at Barry while nodding her head. She then pushed her chair back while Joyce looked up at Buffy, and asked her to be careful and call the police if she see's anything weird. Barry glanced over at Tara, who gave him a quick glance before looking away with a small smile and a shrug. It was almost immediately that Xander rose up off his seat, along with Willow and then Giles.. all of whom told Barry that they usually accompanied Buffy and her friend for her Neighbourhood Watch patrols.

"But after the patrol we usually end up at the Bronze," said Tara, "if you want to meet us there, then…"

"I used to work in the police department, so maybe I could come and help you guys out," said Barry who was chuckling inside at the Scooby's reactions, except for Tara who was simply hiding her smile while covering her mouth with a hand. As for they others, they were waving their hands and shaking their heads, with Buffy saying that the people they're meeting aren't too fond of strangers.

"We've done this for a long time, Barry," Buffy said, "so the groups are comfortable with us.. maybe another time?"

"Yeah, sure," Barry said as he stood up as well before telling Joyce and Dawn that it was about time he got back to his apartment as well.

"Maybe meet up at the Bronze?" asked Xander.

Barry simply nodded his head before Xander, Buffy Willow, Giles, and Tara headed for the living room while Barry walked towards the first door. He glanced at the group heading towards the sitting room before he placed his hand on the knob and turned it.

"Don't stay away from us, Barry," Joyce said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Barry looked at her while she said that he was invited to come by at any time. The young man simply nodded his head after saying goodbye to Dawn; he then looked over behind Joyce's shoulder at Buffy who was talking to Giles and the others with her back to him. Barry then looked towards Joyce, smiled, and then said that it was great to spend some time with them.

"Reminds me of the people I left behind," said Barry nodding his head.

"Like I said," Joyce replied, "you're welcome any time."

Barry then turned and walked out of the house and onto the porch just as the door was closed behind him. While he was walking down the stairs and towards his bicycle, Buffy had finished whispering to Xander and the others. She looked over her shoulder once the door had closed, and saw Joyce and Dawn walking back into the dining room. She then sighed, turned around and headed for the weapons chest in the corner with the others behind her.

"We could have had him come along with us, Buffy," said Xander as Buffy opened the top of the chest, and reached in to take out an axe with one hand, and a bag with the other hand, "instead of pretending to have a briefing about with parts of the neighbourhood we'll be patrolling."

"Before anyone says anything else," said Buffy as she crouched down and placed the axe, and then a few crossbows and daggers into the bag, "I don't want someone without any experience facing off against demons and stuff."

"He just wanted to help, Buff," Willow explained.

"Even so," said Buffy as Joyce walked into the living room, "it's still dangerous."

"Be careful?" said Joyce as Buffy stood up, turned around, and then nodded her head.

In the meantime, Barry had this sense that he was being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck and arms stood up as he pedalled the bicycle at normal speed. While riding down the street approaching a right turn, Barry looked over his shoulders as he applied the brakes. He narrowed his eyes and frowned when he saw a shadow slink back behind a house. He then turned and started to pedal the bicycle once again, the same sense of having someone watching him returning as he made that turn.

He knew that if it was someone, or something, watching him – then he shouldn't be using his speed. Barry suspected it was someone who was suspicious of him, and wondered if it was Buffy following him; although he didn't know why she would since he hadn't done anything to make her suspicious… and Tara had already told him, in private, after the Knights of Byzantium situation, that his secret was safe with her.

'So most likely it's not Buffy,' thought Barry as he made another turn into the street that led out of the neighbourhood. He kept on pedalling calmly until he couldn't feel as if he was being watched. However, to make sure that whoever watching him was satisfied, he continued pedalling on the bicycle until he reached his apartment. He then picked up the bicycle and took it up to his apartment at normal speed. Once in his room, Barry changed into his uniform at super speed before heading out once again as the Flash.

He left out the rear entrance to his building and then ran around a block searching for whoever it was that was following him. Once he found no-one, Barry extended his search area covering the streets and alleys, as well as the rooftops closest to his building in a few seconds. But he still couldn't find anyone as he stopped once again and looked around.

Shaking his head while hoping that it was just his imagination, Barry took off down the street at high speed. He ran around the city, and had even gone past Buffy and the others, who were headed towards a park near her neighbourhood. Barry watched as they stood still before taking off at high speed. He ran a few more times around the city before running out of Sunnydale after stopping a mugging. He then started to run towards Santa Barbara, and in the meantime, a manhole cover rose from an alleyway near Barry's apartment.

Spike pushed the cover aside while he debated with himself the purpose of following Barry, running through the backyards of various houses after the bicycling you man. Once he had his scent though, Spike went down into the sewers when Barry continued to look over his shoulder… Spike suspected that Barry knew he was being followed- the reason for which Spike went underground where he still followed Barry's scent through all the other scents. Ultimately, he reached his goal and climbed up to the surface. He found himself in an alleyway, and ran to the road. He sniffed the air, and then walked with his hands in his pockets towards a building across the road.

Growling as he looked up the side of the building, all he saw were windows; all of which were dark. He then ran up the stairs, certain that Barry's stayed in the building. He walked into the building, and then sniffed the air. Finding Barry's scent, Spike smiled before creeping up the stairs to the young man's apartment. He didn't know what he was going to do when he reached Barry's apartment though, all he knew was that his mission was to find out the truth about the young man who was present at dinner… a man who was given a place at the table that Spike felt should have been his; right next to Buffy.

Spike didn't do jealousy well as he remembered having seen Riley, Buffy's then boyfriend, entering a den where vampire fed on willing humans. The human got a high from being fed on, while the vampires had a source of human blood. It was a win-win proposition for everyone, but Spike followed Riley to the den, and once he had seen what was happening with his own eyes, he then approached Buffy while she was sleeping. As Spike continued to creep up the stairs, his mind went back to standing at the foot of Buffy's bed as she covered herself while he looked on for a few seconds before averting his eyes away, telling her that he had something to show her.

And then he took her to Riley, who had his eyes closed in pleasure while a vampire was biting into his arm. Spike told her that he was concerned that riley was making a mistake, and he wanted to make sure he dint die… but the truth was that Spike wanted Buffy to get rid of Riley. His feelings for the Slayer had grown… he desired Buffy even though she didn't see him the same way.. and he believed that the best way for her to see him as a saviour would be to show her what Riley had been up to.

However, it didn't work out that way exactly. She ended up being mad at the both of them, and although Buffy and Riley did break up.. she couldn't see Spike romantically. Then, Buffy kissed Spike as a ruse after he was rescued from Glory, and he felt her desire as well. He knew that the both of them were the same… they were beings of darkness and she would be happy with him.

And then Barry came into the picture, and Spike saw him as another Riley; someone not worthy for Buffy.

Spike followed Barry's scent to his apartment door, and then listened for any sound from inside the apartment. He knew it was a longshot to follow the man to his apartment; that Barry may still be in the room and Spike would have to come back later in the day after hiding out in the basement of the building when Barry would have to go to work. So imagine Spike's surprise when he didn't hear anything at all from Barry's apartment; no feet shuffling on the floor, no heartbeat, and no breathing. Surprised that the young man would have left just as he returned home, especially since there was only Barry's scent heading into the apartment, and no indication that he left, had Spike confused.

Then he remembered that the apartment itself was private property, and that he wouldn't be able to enter without permission. Taking a second to think, Spike cam up with a plan. Smiling, the man knocked on the door… he wanted to be certain if the apartment was empty or not.

Once he confirmed it wasn't empty, Spike placed his hand on the door knob, and then twisted it, breaking the lock and then slowly opening the door. He pushed the door inside, and then looked into the room inside, the light from the hallway illuminating part of the room. Spike just stood in the hallway, and looked into the now barely lit room, his eyes able to see in the dark without any need to turn on the lights. He looked at the fridge, and then at the tent and sleeping bags, and then at the air-mattress. He saw the various drawings on the wall closest to the mattress, and he focused his eyes. With the room a mess, and him unable to enter, Spike tilted his head when he saw some of the pictures. He looked at the drawings of a young woman standing arm in arm with Barry, the both of them laughing. He then saw another drawing of Barry with several others around a dining table, followed by another one with an older woman and man – unknown to Spike, he was looking at a drawing of Nora and Henry Allen. He continued to look at the other drawings before he saw one that made him knit his eyebrows in confusion.

It was a picture of Barry with Iris, Joe, Wally, Caitlin, Harry, Jessie, and Cisco on either side in what looked like a lab. And below the drawing was written in a stylized font; 'My STAR Labs family.'

"STAR Labs," whispered Spike before thinking to himself, 'I've been all around the country over the years and never heard about some place called STAR Labs.'

With eyebrows knitted, Spike then looked at the other drawing and focused on a drawing of a man holding a bow and Arrow with a young woman and another man behind a desk, he then looked at a drawing of a man on fire. Spike frowned before turning around, and then walking off down the hallway.

'This guy… wait a minute,' thought Spike to himself before he turned and rushed to the door once again. Spike focused his vision on the drawing of what seemed to be a police department bullpen. The drawing, like all the other drawings hanging on the wall was extremely detailed… and Giles focused more on one name on the table where the drawing of the dark-skinned man was leaning on while his arm was around a young woman – 'Detective Joe West; Central City Police Department.'

Spike stepped back as he recalled the day that Dawn ran away from home after finding out she was the Key. The day they had first heard of the Streak, and that Dawn was the first one to meet him.

'She said that the Streak was from some place called Central City,' thought Spike to himself, 'Willow even checked out records for Central City… and it doesn't exist. So how… oh, this is rich.'

Spike quickly ran down the hallway, the door to Barry's apartment remaining open; Spike knew that if Barry was the streak, then he needed to get out of there as soon as possible. He needed to tell Buffy of this new situation. He rushed down the stairs and then into the sewers via a manhole cover down the street. When Buffy went back into the house earlier that night, he lingered around the house and overheard Buffy inviting Barry to the Bronze later on that night.

Spike decided to make his way to the Bronze so that he could reveal to Buffy that her latest interest had lied to her. Now all he needed to do was wait for Buffy to arrive at the Bronze. And then tell her about what he found; and Spike just knew that Buffy would thank him from being hurt once again.

TBC.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Barry's Apartment, an hour later.**

Barry just zoomed back from Los Angeles after a patrol, and was stunned to find his door open, the light from the hallway shining into his room. The man ran into the room, and closed the doors behind him. It was when he listened for the door to latch, that he suspected that someone had broken the knob. He then turned on the lights and looked around the room before running around at super-speed to make sure that nothing was stolen.

Upon seeing that everything was where it was supposed to be, the young man stood in the middle of the room and took off his cowl. The door was still slightly ajar, so he sped into his small closet, and changed before zooming back out to the middle of the room.

'Nothing was taken,' he thought to himself as he looked around before walking over to his cell phone, and then calling the apartment manager. Barry told the man what happened, but all he did was tell the speedster to wait until tomorrow. Sighing, Barry disconnected the call and frowned. He looked actually wanted to meet up with Buffy and the others at the Bronze, but with the break-in, he felt it would be better to simply remain at home. There was a part of him that was telling him to head to the desert with all of his belongings, and it was something he had considered as he looked at the folded tent, and then at the air mattress.

'I can leave the bicycle here,' he thought to himself before making the decision to head for his earlier camping spot until his door was repaired. He placed his drawings in a bag, along with some food and beer, before placing on his suit once again, and then running out of the apartment to the earlier campsite. He then set up his things before heading back to the apartment. One he reached his apartment again, Barry looked back at his bike, and then gave a small smile on his face before picking it up off the ground very slightly, and then ran off to the campsite.

Once he made sure that everything was set, Barry ran all the way to the Bronze – all the while wondering why it was that someone would break into his apartment. He had already checked everything, and he hadn't left anything incriminating in his room, 'maybe whoever it was thought I had some money?'

Shaking his head, Barry ran as fast as he could, and soon arrived a block outside the Bronze. He stopped and walked towards the warehouse in the distance from which he could hear the sounds of thumping as drum beats travelled through the air and hit his ears. The young man walked past several cars when he saw a group walking towards the front entrance.

"Buffy!" he yelled as the short blonde haired young woman turned around with Xander, Anya, Tara, and Willow.

"Hey," said Buffy surprised as she saw Barry walking towards them with his hands inside his pockets. It was then that Tara and Willow waved at him, while Xander motioned towards the Bronze, and said 'welcome'. Anya then nodded her head at Barry just before pulling Xander into the club, telling him that they had to find a place to dance.

"See you inside," yelled Xander as he was being pulled into the Bronze by Anya. Tara walked up to, and then grabbed Barry's arm before she and Willow pulled him towards the entrance, with Buffy smiling a little as the two girls walked arm in arm with Barry.

Buffy walked next to Willow when she felt a hand on her shoulder just as they passed a dark alley. Turning her head, her body ready to fight following the two vampires she dusted earlier that night, the four of them stared at the bleach haired Spike.

"Hey," said Tara waving her hand at Spike, while the vampire stared at Barry before nodding his head.

"And you're Cary, right?" asked Spike before saying that Buffy had mentioned him when they were talking back at the house.

"Barry," he replied, "my name's Barry."

"Right," Spike said before turning to Buffy.

"What do you want, Spike?" said Buffy as she placed her arms over her chest.

"Just to talk," said Spike before looking over at Willow, Tara, and Barry, and then back towards Buffy, "in private. I have some information that you need to know about… very important, information."

"About?" asked Buffy as she narrowed her eyes at him while Willow and Tara, who guessed that it was something supernatural related, pulled Barry away. The young man told Buffy that he'd see her inside the Bronze. The blonde slayer nodded her head before turning back to Spike as the three of them walked away. Spike then looked at Barry as he entered the Bronze, before nodding his head at the Slayer, asking her to follow him into an alleyway so that he could talk to her in private.

"Just tell me what you want to tell me," said an exasperated Buffy as she placed her hands on her hips,

"One thing I want to tell you," said Spike as he took a step forward and placed a hand on her left hip. The Slayer looked down at this hand, and then back up at Spike with a frown on her face. She grabbed his hand, pulled it off her hip, and then twisted it while the vampire yelped in pain… and a smile on his face.

"Tell me what you want to say, or I will break that hand, Spike," Buffy said while Spike looked at the last couple who had just go into the entrance. They walked in, and then Spike turned to Buffy and heard even more people coming their way. He licked his lips as he stared at Buffy's, and then looked up into her eyes. He could see fire engulfing Buffy as he grabbed her with his free hand… and then pulled her into the alleyway, and then against the wall before once again saying that he couldn't stop thinking about her.. and that anybody she chose was not the right person for her.

"You need someone who…"

"Shut up," hissed Buffy as she pushed the vampire away, "I don't love you, I don't want you that way. I kissed you as thanks, and…"

"I showed you what Riley was doing so that you won't be hurt," said Spike as Buffy rolled her hands into fists, "and what I am going to tell you now is so that you don't get hurt by someone else. Not by that Barry guy."

"What are you talking about?" asked Buffy as she gabbed Spike by his collar and then spun him around, before slamming him against the opposite wall.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're alright," said Spike as he looked into Buffy's eyes while not making a single move, "I wanted to make sure that Dawn was alright too… and Joyce. All three of you… I knew that I had to check up on your new guy, and…"

"He's a friend," said Buffy.

"Riley was a friend until you started shagging him," said Spike as Buffy pursed her lips, and she reached under her jacket, only to reveal a stake in her hand.. ready to strike while she locked her jaw glaring at Spike, "I'm trying to protect you before you get to know this guy, and then you…"

"Don't say it," growled Buffy.

"And then you shag him, and then you find that he has some secret that he's been keeping from you," Spike replied, "I don't want to see you hurt like that again. Who knows how long Riley kept that away from you, and I don't want to see you go through heart-break again."

"What are you talking about?" asked Buffy as she kitted her eyebrows together.

"I followed Barry to his apartment," said Spike as Buffy's eyes went wide before she spun around and then threw Spike, who went sailing into the air, eventually slamming into the opposite wall of the alley before falling to the ground. He slowly got up to his feet while Buffy strode towards him in anger.

"How dare you!" exclaimed Buffy as she pushed Spike into the wall, "who are you to…"

"If I didn't," Spike interrupted Buffy while putting his hands into his black overcoat, "then I wouldn't have found out that he's been keeping a secret from you. A pretty big one… he's the Streak."

"What?" asked Buffy, confusion etched on her face, "what are you talking about? No, he's not the Streak, and…"

"I saw drawings on his wall, Buffy," said Spike as the Slayer stepped back slightly, "you know my eyesight is really good… even at night. We can see in the dark, and I saw the words Central City… the same city that Dawn told us the Streak was from. The same place that you had Red check out when we took the Lil'Bit home; the same place that didn't exist."

"Get away from me," hissed Buffy before she spun around and strode off. She put the stake underneath her jacket and then clenched her hands into fists just while she strode towards the entrance. She heard Spike behind her, telling her that she was going to come back to him; that he loved her. Buffy looked over her shoulder at the vampire who stepped back into the darkness before she reached for, and opened the door into the noisy interior of the Bronze.

She knew that Spike had his own issues, and that he would kill them all if he could without the interference of the chip in his brain. But Buffy also knew that the kiss he returned back when she was pretending to be the Buffy-bot was indeed real, but she didn't love him. But she pushed that thought out of her mid as she looked around the club; to her left was the dance floor where people were enjoying themselves and caught a glimpse of Xander and Anya dancing. She then took a few steps forward while looking around, and then saw Barry siting with Tara and Willow.

The Slayer saw them listening intently to what he was saying, and then saw Willow frown while Tara patted his hand. Buffy remembered what Flash said about being from another Earth, and being unable to find a way home.. and that he needed to keep his secret identity away from others so that anyone couldn't harm his friends to get to him. However, Buffy knew that she had issues with trust, which was most glaring when she was dating Riley before finding out that he was with the Initiative, and then came the incident with the Vampires drinking his blood for pleasure.

And now there was another person who was trying to hang out with them with a very big secret. At least if what Spike said was the truth.

'There is a part of me that knows Spike's telling the truth, he's twisted enough to do something like break into someone's house,' thought Buffy to herself, 'but then again, it could be simply something like jealousy that there's another guy who would most likely be in our lives since mom told him to drop by at any time. And besides, he doesn't seem to be the whole superhero type…. But then again, I'm supposed to be the peppy cheerleader. But… nah, Spike's just jealous... and it's not like I can just ask him if he's the Flash, or anything.'

"Buffy," she whispered to herself while waving her hands about, "just calm down. Even If he is… he saved you and the others… he saved Dawn when he had the chance to return home using her blood. Just take it easy."

'But…' thought Buffy before she could take another step when she felt the lump in her left pocket. It was the phone that the Flash had given her in case she ever had to call him once again. Buffy kept it with her always, in the event that she was facing too many enemies with her friends, and needed an extra hand. Buffy had an idea as to whether Barry was the Flash, or not. She took out her phone, and then dialled the only number in the phone's memory. With the sounds of music around her, Buffy took out her phone, and speed dialled the number. She hoped that Spike was wrong as the phone rang, and she placed it to her ear. She watched as Barry leaned to one side while reaching into his pocket. Buffy saw the young man get up while pointing to the bar area before walking away, and placing the phone to his ear.

"Buffy?" asked Barry in his distorted voice when he stopped talking upon hearing Willow and Tara call out Buffy's name. He, with the phone still on his ear, turned and stared at Tara and Willow waving at Buffy, who was walking towards them. Barry had heard the same song that was currently playing in the Bronze from Buffy's end, and he saw the young woman turn off the phone while looking at him.

"Oh boy," he whispered as Buffy told Willow and Tara that she'd be right back while looking right back at him. She walked around them, and up to Barry with her hands clenched into fists.

"Hi, Barry," said Buffy as she looked up at the young man, "or should I call you Flash?"

**Earth One, a day after the discovery that Black Siren was imprisoned at Star Labs.**

While Barry and Buffy were looking at each other, the Slayer waiting to hear an explanation, there was a roar in one of the buildings in the warehouse district in Central City. A being covered in fur was running behind a motorcycle being ridden by a young woman dressed head to toe in red, a hood covering her head. She accelerated the motorcycle as she made a turn into another street while the bi-pedal wolf-like creature followed her by running at incredible speed… not as fast as the flash, but enough to remain a cars distance away from the motorcycle.

"Red hood," said a young man's voice in her ear piece.

"Speedy," said the young woman was she made another turn, keeping the creature following her away from innocents while hoping that this was just another freak created by the Particle accelerator explosion, and not what Cisco referred to as the Wolf Man, "Speedy's my code name."

"But that… okay, okay," said Cisco as he smiled at the computer in front of him while tracking Thea, "how about, the Red Arrow?"

"Cisco," growled Thea as she made another turn into a prearranged location where she glanced up at the rooftops and noticed Joe holding onto a rifle that contained a vial of enough tranquilizers that could put down an elephant. It was something they needed after she had come across the same creature last night, the night of a full moon.

"Sorry, sorry," said Cisco before telling Thea that she was in position, "Dr. McGee and Caitlin have the cell ready for our guest, at least until he becomes human again. Oh, and you're at the place… you know what to do now."

"Is Wally ready?" asked Thea skidding her motor cycle to a stop, got off the vehicle and then took out her bow, and three prototype stun arrows that would release an electrical charge once the skin was penetrated. In the meantime, Wally gave a thumbs up to Cisco before running to the treadmill.

"He's ready," Cisco said.

"Do it," said Thea as the growling, six-foot-tall, muscular, Wolf-man was rumbling towards her. Once it was a few meters away from the archer, a blot of lighting ran down the street and then circled the creature. The 'Flash' used the lightening generated from 'running' to block the creature's view while Thea raised her bow, and pulled back on the arrows. She then let them fly once the creature swiped its claws through the image of the fake Flash. The weapons then stuck themselves into the flesh of the creature, pulled its head back, and then howled.

"That's a cliché," mumbled Thea listening to the howl as she took out a remote and pressed a button that released a massive charge into the creature itself.

"Thea, move!" said Joe as he aimed the weapon at the growling creature that was slowly stepping towards Thea before stumbling onto the floor.

"The charge is gonna last for another ten seconds," said Cisco as he looked at the computer while Wally ran back into the Cortex and stood behind Cisco. They were now looking at the video from a nearby camera as the creature lunged at Thea, who moved to one side at the last minute. It was then then that Joe fired a tranquilizer dart into the creature's back. With the charge already weakening the creature, the tranquilizer was far for effective than earlier that night when they fired two darts.

"Cisco," said Thea into her ear piece as she gave a thumbs-up to Joe who stood up nodding his head at the young woman, "we're heading back, who knows when this guy…. Whoever he is… becomes human again. Well, if he becomes human again."

"We'll find out who he, or she, is when you and Joe bring the wolf-man back," said Cisco, "Tina, Wally, and Caitlin will wait at the 'C' entrance."

"Great," said Thea as she approached the sleeping creature before Joe spoke to her over the earpiece and said that he was on the way with the STAR Labs van. Thea looked down at the creature, and told him that she wasn't going anywhere before saying that Oliver was not going to believe this.

It would be nearly thirty minutes later, after both Thea and Joe struggled to get the wold-man if the back of the van, that the both of them headed to STAR Labs where the creature was taken to a cell. Tina McGee, Caitlin, and Wally simply stared wordlessly at the creature in the back of the van lying unconsciously on the floor.

"You have got to be kidding me," said Wally as she kept his father and Thea place the creature on the gurney while Cisco was telling them that there was no way he was coming to check out the creature, especially since he could become one if he was scratched.

"I believe you have nothing worry about, Cisco," said Tina as she, and Caitlin rolled the gurney into the building. In the meantime, Thea pulled her hood back, and then smelled her uniform before turning away in disgust.

"I smell like wet dog," said Thea with a frown while Wally chuckled before saying all he had to do was run on a treadmill. Thea put her hands on her hips and glared at Wally while Joe said that he needed to have his suit dry-cleaned. They then headed back into the building, with Joe saying that he'll get dinner with Iris who should be getting off work, and with Wally. It would be later that night that once Thea had taken a shower, and then dinner with the others in STAR Labs, that she stood in the Pipeline staring at Laurel who was sitting on the floor of her cell and leaning on the wall behind her while eating a burger.

"Nice to see you again, Thea," smiled Laurel, "it's been what? A day? A little more?"

"Let's talk, Laurel," said Thea in a shirt and jeans as she stared at Laurel.

"About what?" Laurel asked while arching an eyebrow.

"Everything," Thea said as Lauren smiled and placed her burger on the take-out bag before grabbing some fries, "I want to know everything about you."

TBC.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Sunnydale.**

Barry was standing surrounded by people and the din of music blasting from the speaker while looking at Buffy. He saw that her hands were clenched into fists, while her eyes seemed to be burrowing into his very soul, so much so that he could feel the anger just coming off her. However, the speedster wasn't fazed, he knew that he was doing the right thing by not telling anyone about his secret since he didn't want others to be harmed because of him, and because he was very sure that Cisco would find him at any moment; he didn't want there to be any attachments.

There was one thing though he needed to know; how it was that Buffy found out the truth.

'I was really careful,' Barry thought to himself as he took a step forward, 'I know that much. So how does Buffy know about me being the Flash? Maybe I can deny it. Yes, I'll deny it.'

"Buffy, I don't know…."

"Enough with the lies, Barry," said Buffy as she grabbed his arm, and then pulled him towards the rear exit. Willow just returned to the table with some drinks and saw Buffy leaving out the back with Barry, who was trying to resist the Slayer's strength, in tow. The two young women then got up, Tara mentally worried that something may have happened, and rushed out the same door that just closed to find Buffy raising her voice at Barry, "how could you not tell us about this?"

"I had my reasons," said Barry before he looked up at a confused Willow who had just closed the door behind her with Tara by her side.

"What's going on, Buffy?" asked Willow.

"Barry?" asked Tara who furrowed her eyebrows at the young man. She then noticed the expression on Barry's face, and had an instinctive feeling that his secret was revealed. She knew that it wasn't her who told Buffy Barry's secret, and she hoped that Barry knew that as well. Tara had already assured him that his secret life as the Flash was safe with her, and was about to open her mouth when Buffy opened her lips.

"Are you going to tell them, or should I?" asked Buffy as she glared at Barry with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Tell us what?" asked Willow looking between Buffy and Barry, who was staring right back at Buffy.

"My secret… the secret I have? It's all to keep people safe, Buffy," said Barry, at the last moment trying to appeal to Buffy to see things from his side, "just leave it alone."

"No," Buffy said her leg shaking as she recalled the secrets about the Initiative, Adam, and then the secrets that Riley tried to keep from her, and would have continued keeping from her, if Spike hadn't interfered. Those thoughts in her head, and the anger they brought back up to the surface, made her blurt out, "no more secrets. You said your family and friends are in your own Earth, so there is nothing here to stop you from telling me, Willow, Tara, and…."

"Barry?" asked Willow interrupting Buffy while placing her hand on the Slayer's shoulder, as she turned her head to him, "your own Earth?"

"I… I think we should stop, right now," said Tara as she got in-between Buffy and Barry, "I… I think that…"

"You're right," said Barry as he stared at Buffy, "I don't have anyone I care about on this Earth; no friends, and no family, and…"

"I didn't mean it that way," said Buffy when she recalled what she just told Barry.

"You did," added Barry before taking a step back while Willow approached Barry, "all I can do is live a life here while waiting for Cisco to find me and take me home. Listen, I gotta go. Yea… see you."

Just before Willow could get to Barry, he zoomed off leaving lightning in his wake, and a gust of wind that made the three young women's hair flutter. Willow's eyes remained wide open in surprise as she stared at the empty space where Barry was just standing. She then turned to Buffy and exclaimed that Barry was the Flash.

"Yea," mumbled Buffy as she looked out into the now empty alleyway before shaking her head and rubbing her forehead, "damn it."

"Ho.. how did you know?" asked Tara.

"Spike," said Buffy turning around to face Willow and Tara, "he's the one who told me."

"Spike?" asked both Willow and Tara together.

"What's Spike got to do… I mean, was he following Barry, or something?" asked Tara.

"Hs thought that Barry was a bit iffy, and… look, he said he loves me and…"

"He loves you?" chuckled Willow before she started giggling and waving her hands about while Buffy stared at her best friend, and then at the confused expression on Tara's face. Tara, trying to hide the laughter that was just underneath the surface, laughter which Willow's giggling threatened to expose, asked Buffy if he really said that he loved her. Followed by asking if she loved him back.

"Yes, he said he loves me," said Buffy to the first question as Willow slowly stopped laughing when she realized that Buffy was being serious, 'but I don't have any feelings for him. And that's beside the point, Barry's been keeping this big secret from us, and…"

"Other than Spike finding out Barry's the Flash.. which by the way is so cool," said Willow as she waved her hands about, "maybe he was right to keep the secret, Buffy."

"And why did Spike want to tell you?" asked Tara.

"I think he wants me to come to him after finding out that Barry's the Flash and.. I mean, that's not going to happen, no way… no way in hell," reiterated Buffy as the door opened again and Anya's head popped out before looking back inside. The thumping sounds of the music reverberated through the alleyway as Anya yelled 'they're outside!' before walking out of the door, followed soon by Xander. The door closing behind them, Xander placed an arm around Anya's shoulders while heading towards their friends.

"We were searching for you inside, what happened?" asked Xander, "was there a vampire?"

"Spike told Buffy that Barry's the Flash," said an excited Willow while Tara looked out into the empty alleyway towards the parking lot, and then back at the surprised looks on the faces of Xander and Anya, "we saw him run out of here with lighting behind him, it was so cool."

"Wait.. wait.. wait," said Xander waving his hands before looking at Buffy, "you're serious? Why'd he keep this secret?"

"He wanted us to be safe," Tara said, "I mean if he made any enemies here, then he would be placing his friends and family in danger."

"If he is the flash," said Anya who was tried to wrap her mind around this latest news, "then he's stuck here from his Earth since.. well, Tara and Willow already tried to send him home. And it didn't work."

"So, he should have told us his secret," Xander added before saying that he had a responsibility to at least tell his friends about it, "I mean, if we're not friends considering he came to the Bronze with us, then what are we? I'm actually a little bit hurt, and…"

"I kind of told him he doesn't have friends or family here," said Buffy softly, "so he didn't have reason to keep this a secret from us, and…"

"Ouch," said Xander as Buffy looked away with a frown on her face.

"We wouldn't be in danger," said Buffy, "he knows I'm a Slayer, he knows that Willow and Tara are Witches, and.. yea.."

"It's still his decision," said Tara, "whether to tell us or not, Buffy."

"Wait, who told you?" asked Xander, who shook his head and shuddered in disgust at the mention of Spike's love for Buffy as the reason for spying on Barry. Xander then told Buffy that while it was a bit 'sucky' to have Barry hide that he was the Flash, she still needed to call him and ask him to come back to the Bronze.

"Especially since I have so many questions," chuckled Xander.

"That's one reason," said Willow as she and Anya slapped his arms. Tara rubbed Willow's back while saying that Barry's been alone on this Earth for the past two months. She continued to say that since they haven't been able to send him back, they needed to make him feel welcome so that he didn't feel lonely.

"And well, maybe he'd be nice enough to take Spike off our hands," said Xander. Buffy's smirk was soon followed by the sound of a thud, and then the smell of cigarettes permeated the air. She looked up at Xander and the others who were looking over her shoulder; Buffy then turned around and crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Spike before demanding to know why he was back in the alleyway.

"Go home, Spike," said Buffy as she took out the phone in her pocket, and then pressed the speed dial for Barry's phone; all while glaring at the vampire walking towards them. She placed the phone in her hand, the receiver section of the phone behind her back while telling Spike that she confronted Barry about being the Flash.

"See," Spike said bowing his head, "I said that…"

"I never asked you to break into his house, Spike," said Buffy whose words Barry could hear as he listened in while standing at the cliff at Kingmans Bluff, "I never… look, I want you to leave me alone. Leave us all alone. You're a vampire, and I'm a Slayer."

'That guy at Buffy's house was a vampire?' thought Barry as he listened to the conversation between Buffy and Spike.

"Listen, Pet," said Spike, "I'm sure the military would like to know about this guy, and I could trade with them. The Flash for the chip in my head, and…"

"That's low, Spike," said Xander, "and for you, that's saying something."

"I'll keep quiet," said Spike as he threw the cigarette away while Anya looked at the opened flip phone that Buffy was holding out behind her back, "but only if we go on a date, and…"

"Are you like Twelve years old?" asked Buffy.

"Technically, that's an insult to twelve year olds," added Xander.

"Come on, Slayer," said Spike, "just you and me. Maybe there'll be a little shag here and there, but…"

"You're a pig, Spike," frowned Buffy.

"What do you have to lose," he replied while pointed a finger at the side of his head, "this chip gives me a headache if I hurt any humans, so I'll be hurting like hell if I try to hit you. So, what do you say, Slayer? Go out with me, and I keep the Flash's identity a secret. If not, then the military will be getting some information that a certain Barry Allen is the Streak.. or should I say, the Flash… and.."

Before Spike could finish saying what he wanted to say, Buffy and the others saw a bolt of lighting take the vampire away. Buffy smirked and closed her phone while Willow dropped her lower jaw, Xander raised his eyebrows, while Anya was sighing before turning to Xander and saying she was bored and wanted to dance.

"That… was… so cool," said Willow excitedly before talking about what just happened for a few minutes before Barry returned to the alleyway in his civilian clothes.

"So… where's, Spike?" asked Tara.

"An island in the South Pacific," Barry said as Xander asked Buffy and Willow why they never thought about doing that. He then turned to Barry and said that he was once possessed by a Hyena spirit, and got all the powers as well.

"Cool," said an impressed Barry, "magic?"

"Yeah," Xander replied while Willow crept up to Barry after walking past Buffy and poked his arm and shoulder with her finger, "but I don't have it anymore. I can feel it's still there though."

"Yeah, sure…" said Anya patting his shoulder while Willow mumbled to herself on Barry was able to withstand the friction created by his super speed while she, Tara, and Dawn had their clothes burned off. Barry was about to answer, when Xander hung his head and groaned when Anya said that he was like a hyena in bed, "very, very, very eager and loud."

"Oh, dear God," Buffy groaned closing her eyes and shaking her head while Tara chuckled at Xander's reaction.

"Hey," said Tara gently as she walked past Buffy and placed her hand on Willow's back. She then grabbed his arm, and asked him to return into the club with them, "it beats being by yourself, Barry. And now, you could tell us about your old friends… to your new friends."

"Yea," said an excited Willow while Anya was holding onto Xander who was nodding his head excitedly.

"Barry," said Buffy, "I sometimes shoot my mouth off, and I say stuff that… well… stuff that doesn't sound too good. I hate secrets. Secrets messed me and us up too many times over the last year, and I'm just tired of it. I get you wanna protect your friends, but you know that we can protect ourselves… and you know you can trust us with your secret."

"Yea," said Barry glancing at Tara, and then back at Buffy, "the truth is that I'm scared of making friends here since… since Cisco could find me at any time. And the closer I get to someone, the harder it would be to let them go. So… yeah.."

"I say we get back in, and get some drinks, and then we talk about Central City and Team Flash," said Xander nodded his head at the club.

"Yeah," said Barry nodding his head, "yeah, sure."

**STAR Labs, Pipeline prison, Central City.**

"Everything?" asked a sneering Laurel as she eyed Thea while Cisco and Joe were watching through the monitors in the Cortex, while at the same time Caitlin and Dr. McGee were tending to the so-called Werewolf being kept in a reinforced bunker several floors down, "why? You think I'm supposed to be redeemed?"

Laurel then pouted before sarcastically saying, "aww, you want to make me one of the good guys?"

"I think anyone can be redeemed," said Thea as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Oh, that's so sweet," Laurel kept on pouting as she looked at Thea with eyes wide open, and tilting her head, "and then we're gonna bake cakes and cookies?"

The expression on Laurel's face vanished before she rushed forward and slammed her fists on the glass before telling Thea that she had read up on her from Zoom's dossier on possible threats. Laurel told the young woman that she was nothing; that her training with the League of Assassins was nothing compared to her, and to Zoom, "I could have gone Star City and killed you, Oliver, dear old daddy, and…"

"Then, why didn't you?" asked Thea interrupting Black Siren, "you had every chance. You know about our Laurel's death, you knew we were in a vulnerable place, so you had every chance to take us out."

Back in the Cortex, Cisco whispered 'she's right' to Joe before Thea demanded to know why she didn't just kill them all. They watched Thea take another step into the Pipeline as Laurel backed from the glass, he face reflecting her rage while saying that she couldn't kill them yet.

"There's a part of you who still cares about Oliver, and…"

"Don't play armchair psychology with me, little girl," said Laurel, "Zoom asked me to…"

"That's the other thing," said Thea unmoved by Laurel, at least externally, "you telling me you got stopped by Zoom? How did you find out about our Laurel?"

"This isn't fun anymore," said Laurel.

"Damn it, Laurel," exclaimed Thea, "I'm trying to help you."

"I don't need your help, I don't need little Ollie's help, and I don't need any of you," said Laurel while Cisco shook his head in the Cortex. He and Joe listened in for a few more minutes, and the Cisco told Joe that he couldn't listen anymore, and that he was going to continue searching for Barry. Joe nodded his head before heading out of the Cortex, leaving Joe alone as he watched Thea sigh before asking Laurel if there was a villain on her Earth who could turn into a man sized wolf.

"A werewolf?" chuckled Laurel shaking her head, "don't bother me with these stupid things, Thea. Go back home, and rest up. I'll be getting out of here soon, and when I do? These people here will pay, and I'll save you for last. And then, you know what I'm going to do?"

"Laurel," said Thea while Joe watched on the monitor, "I'm being serious. You know anything about any meta-human who can turn into a werewolf on your Earth."

"Ask me what I'm going to do to Ollie when I get out of here, Thea," smirked Laurel as she stared at Thea while leaning her forehead on the glass, "ask me."

"I want an answer, Laurel," said Thea as she set her jaw; a part of her forcing her to remain calm.

"Ask me, and then I'll tell you," said Laurel, a devilish smile forming on her lips, "come on, Thea. It's only fair. Ask me."

"Whatever it is," said Thea before she turned around and walked away from Laure, who narrowed her eyes at the younger woman. Thea wasn't going to indulge her, and so told her that they'll have to live with not finding out the truth, "and if we have to, we'll keep the poor guy in the basement."

"Thea!" yelled Laurel.

"Whatever it is," said Teha turned just after stepping out of the pipeline, "whatever you say you'll do to us? We'll stop you… either way, I'll come down here every night and talk to you. We didn't get much done, but I do want to know about my father, and…"

"Merlyn's still alive and…."

"He's a murderer," said Thea shaking her head, "I want to know more about Richard. And then there's you… I want to know how you became… this."

"You…."

"Get some sleep," said Thea, "I'll come by tomorrow, and if you're calm, then we'll talk."

"Get me out!" yelled Laurel, "get me out and I' tell you everything you ant to know, and…"

"See you tomorrow, Laurel," Thea said as the door slid shut while an enraged Laurel was screaming at her to show her face, "see you tomorrow."

TBC.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Central City.**

It's been two months since Thea joined up with Team Flash in taking down threats to Central City from both human and Meta-Humans threats. During that time, Thea opened a Central City version of her club, Verdant, and used it as a cover to explain her presence in Central City to anyone who asked. As for her other nightly activities as the Red Arrow, Cisco upgraded her uniform to a lightweight Kevlar weave armour, still with her hood and mask, that still gave her full freedom of motion. She also had a new lightweight bow that Cisco helped to develop, along with various arrows that used non-lethal, but painful, methods of putting down any criminal. Among the new arrows were Thea's favourite; the ones that released an electrical charge into the offender's skin or light armour. The new Red Arrow was helped by Wally and his holographic Flash, the both of them working together as if it was something they had been doing for years, impressing even Oliver.

During the two months Cisco continued with the search for Barry an hour a day, and had already gone through nearly two hundred and forty-eight Earth's. An this included Earth thirty Eight, the Earth which Kara Danvers lived and worked. Cisco's breach opened up at just the right point in time to distract the real Hank Henshaw from nearly killing her after he was transformed into a Cyborg by CADMUS. During their down times, Cisco and Caitlin worked with Dr. McGee on creating technology for the Central City Police Department in holding the Meta-humans who were captured ever since Barry went missing.

And it was an increase in the number of meta-human incidents that seemed to slowly rise despite the presence of both holographic Flash and Red Arrow. There were times when the holographic Flash wasn't enough, and the team had to call in the newly powered Jessie Wells - a fact that was shocking to Wally who was also bombarded with dark energy during the 'meta-pocalyspse'. Even Jessie, who was the Earth Two version of the Flash, Jessie Quick, said that it seemed odd that the rogue Meta-humans somehow seemed to have information that the Flash was missing.

It was only a day ago that Jessie left Earth One once again after helping STAR Labs fight off a meta-human with Red Arrow by her side, the both of whom became surprisingly fast friends from the first time they met. Since then, Jessie would occasionally come to Earth One even when she wasn't needed, especially for her dates with Wally who eventually was over his jealousy in Jessie having powers.

In the meantime, while everyone was keeping themselves busy, Laurel refused to see anyone; not Thea, Oliver, or even her own father. Oliver and Captain Lance would visit STAR Labs and watched the young woman through the monitors, but Laurel would even refuse to listening to anything they had to say. Eventually, Oliver told Thea that he'll come by when Laurel wanted to talk... that being Green Arrow and the Mayor of Start City was had enough without seeing the doppelganger of the person he loved. However, Quinten still took a day trip to Central City for a few days to just see his daughter, even if it was through the monitor.

However, this would be the fateful day when Laurel, after weeks of being told by Thea that Quintin was her to just talk to her, finally gave in. At the same time there was a man in a black vest, his bare arms showing off his toned muscles, and hands clenched into fists walking up to the chain link fence that surrounded STAR Labs. He approached the 'danger' sign and a smile formed on his face.

"Let's see if the rumours are true," he whispered with a sneer of contempt on his face as he stared at the building through the chain link fence. The man, named Rodney Green, had been studying reports of a red streak that would run past STAR Labs before sightings of the Flash were reported in the city. The Flash was seen all over the city, but the common factor was STAR Labs… he heard from contacts that a red blur and yellow lightning would usually appear in the vicinity. Rodney wondered how it was that the other Meta-humans never suspected STAR Labs of having a connection to the Flash. But he wasn't complaining; he believed in his gut, as did many of the other Meta-humans, that the Flash was gone… that he wasn't in Central City anymore. The frequent sightings of the Red Arrow arriving at a crime scene before the Flash was highly suspicious among a majority of the Meta-Human population.

"And I'm going to prove it," said Rodney as he flexed his fingers, which caused his hands to glow a bright red.

At that same time, Thea and Captain Lance were in the pipeline staring at Laurel. Once she would pound on the glass with her fists and demand to be let out. But now, Laurel just stood where she was and stared past her reflection at her father.

"Laurel," said Captain Lance as he took another step further after Thea said that she'll give them some privacy. Captain Lance looked at the young woman and nodded his head. She then turned to Laurel, gave a small smile which wasn't returned and then walked away, closing the door to the pipeline behind her. Once the door slid shut, Captain Lance took another step forward while Cisco and Caitlin were watching the two of them from the Cortex.

"Hello, Daddy," said Laurel mockingly. At that same time, at the wire fence, Rodney stared at the STAR Labs building while the skin on his arms started to ripple and glow a deep red. Then deep red and black gashes appeared on his arms while what seemed to look like magma flowed from the tears in his skin. The liquid moved smoothly over the gashes and started to cover his arms. Some of the liquid dripped down to the cement pavement which soon started to smoke and then melt.

Back in the pipeline, Captain Lance asked Laurel, "You… you wanted to talk to me, sweetheart?" Quintin Lance knew that this wasn't his daughter. He had been telling himself that ever since he first laid his eyes upon Black Siren. He was always telling himself that he had to go and talk to her… that she was his daughter and he needed to find out why she was so angry, and why she took Zoom's side in Earth Two.

"Thea thinks that I need to talk to you since you're here like clockwork. She thinks that it's a good thing if I tell you my sob story," said Lauren who was now wearing a grey jumpsuit, "although you should know that I hate you."

"I… I'm not him," stammered Captain Lance while shaking his head, "I am not that man, and…"

"The day I found out that Oliver and Sara were on the boat when it sank, was the day I was destroyed," said Laurel as she placed both her hands on the glass, "it was the same day of the dark matter explosion from STAR Labs. It was the day you tried to kill me, the day you…"

"Kill you?" asked the Captain confused, "why would I want to kill you?"

"You hated me for introducing your dearest Sara to Oliver," said Laurel tilting her head before she yelled, "of course, why wouldn't I want to introduce the LOVE OF MY LIFE to my family!"

"Laurel," Captain Lance shook his head.

"And then… and then when the Queens Gambit sank, I found out that Sara… my dear idiotic sister was screwing my boyfriend behind my back!" Laurel continued to yell while Captain Lance looked away. He remembered how he felt the day he and his Laurel found out that Oliver and Sara were supposedly dead. Captain Lance looked back up at Laurel whose eyes were already reddened as she slammed her fist on the glass door. She sneered at the man before telling him that she was hit by the dark matter wave several minutes after the news hit the air waves.

"I came home after the wave hit me, after it went through me," Laurel said, "and I find you drinking. DRINKING! You blamed me for losing your precious Sara! Me!"

"I'm sorry," said Captain Lance took a deep breath while putting his hands on the glass and looking into the rage that built up in Laurel's eyes, "I'm so sorry. It… it wasn't your fault, Laurel. It… it wasn't your fault."

Laurel laughed while moving her head back as she stepped back before saying that his gun was in his hand before he raised it, and then took a shot at her. Captain Lance listened as Laurel described how she ran out of the apartment, but a bullet went through her shoulder.

"Oh God, honey," said Captain Lance as he shook his head while rubbing the bridge of his nose in disbelieve, "I…."

"I don't know why," said Laurel glaring at Captain Lance, "I just wanted to scream. Scream from the pain, scream because my sister and boyfriend betrayed me, screamed because they were dead, and I wanted to scream because my own father shot me. I screamed and sent you flying into a wall. You fell, and threatened me. You said you'll came after your freak of a daughter, and… and I left. The first meta-human I met was Zoom, and he took me under his wing. And the rest is history."

"I can't excuse what he did," said Captain Lance as he looked at Laurel, "but it was wrong."

"Now you know why I hate you," hissed Laurel, "now get out, and pray I don't leave this cell."

By this time, Thea entered the cortex and then walked to Caitlin's side while Cisco was opening one breach after another in the search for Barry. It was then that the alarms went off with Cisco stopping what he was doing and then rushing to a monitor with Caitlin and Thea. He then called for Dr. Magee to meet them at the Cortex while watching a stranger grab a section of the chain link fence with his hands. They watched with eyes wide open at the metal melting away as he stepped into the parking lot, and then ran towards the building.

"Ok," said Caitlin as she watched the stranger walk through the fence and into the parking lot, "that's new." She then turned to Cisco and had him contact Jessie in Earth Two while she ran for a phone and contacted Captain Lance.

In the meantime, Thea went off to put in her uniform while Cisco closed his eyes and vibed to Earth Two, and asked Jessie for help. However, all he saw was Jessie fighting off something he couldn't believe even though he was seeing it with her own eyes; aliens. Jessie told the astral form of the young man that she'll be with him soon… that she and some of the other heroes in Earth Two were working with Harry to push back an alien invasion. Jessie told Cisco that she would have Harry contact Jay Garrick, who went home a few weeks after arriving in Earth Two after helping to put down a meta-human war to fill in the vacuum left by Zoom.

Cisco told her that he understood, and wished her luck before disengaging his powers. It was just then that Dr. McGee rushed into the Cortex. Cisco told her that they were going to be fighting by themselves for now, or at least until Joe arrived with back-up.

"Captain Lance," said Caitlin over the speakers as the older man looked up at the camera behind him in the pipeline after having heard Laurel tell him off once again, "we have a situation in the Cortex. The pipeline's going into lockdown. We could sure use you out here."

"On my way," said Captain Lance before he turned and looked at Laurel glaring back at him, "I'm sorry he tried to kill you, Laurel. I realize now that's a part of what made you go to Zoom. I'm so sorry. But… but I… I have my fault. I don't deny that. I guess what I'm trying to say is that…"

"I don't want your pity," hissed Laurel.

"You're not my Laurel," said Captain Lance gently, "and I'm not your father. But that doesn't mean that I don't care about you, honey. That's why I keep coming back every week.. that's why Oliver keeps coming back every week. And you didn't talk to either of us… at least until now."

"Well, again, now you know why I hate you," said Laurel as Quentin pressed a button that opened the door to the pipeline, "and I don't want to hear the pathetic Thea begging me to talk to you anymore."

"I don't know if these guys told you," Quentin said as he turned around and stepped backwards into the hallway that led to the pipeline, "but Sara and your mother are alive."

"What?" asked Laurel in surprise, "no…"

"They don't know about you. Your mother and I are… well, we're not in a good place. And Sara's off on her own adventures," said Quentin, "maybe one day they will know and… and I hope when that day comes, the both of us could meet them together."

"I…" mumbled Laurel as she looked at the door sliding down. This information was something she hadn't expected to hear. Thea hadn't told her, nor had Team Flash… and this led to Laurel not knowing how to feel. Laurel lowered her head while Captain Lance's voice saying that no matter what she thought about him, he'll still love her as he would his own Laurel continued to ring in her ears.

"Mom's alive?" asked Laurel as she stumbled backwards and leaned against the wall inside the cell. She slid down as the doorway closed, and sat on the floor as she recalled the last time she and Sara visited their mother's grave after she died in a car accident. Laurel put her hand over her eyes as she hung her head, and her body trembled.

However, no one was able to see this moment since all the screens in the Cortex where turned to the stranger who fired streams of what seemed to be molten lava on a concrete wall. They watched the wall melt away as the stranger made his way into the hallway.

"I know the Flash isn't here," he yelled looking into the camera, "I'm going to make my name by killing the back-up behind the so-called fastest man alive."

"Cisco," said Dr. McGee, "we need something to hold off this young man."

"Looks like he fired off some kind of a magma stream and… oh, oh, Magma… I named him."

"Cisco!" yelled Caitlin.

"Cisco," said Thea as she walked back into the room in her uniform, "anything?"

"I sort of have an idea," said Cisco as he looked at Thea, and then at Captain Lance who rushed into the Cortex asking what was going on. Caitlin and Dr. McGee filled him in while Cisco asked Thea to hold Magma back somehow.

"You better have a good plan," said Thea.

"I always do," chuckled Cisco as he patted her shoulder before running off.

It would be ten minutes later, after leading Magma in a wild goose chase until the right moment presented itself, Cisco's idea of encasing the stranger in ice backfired spectacularly. The cold temperatures fired by the prototype Cold Gun were no match for how hot Magma was able to make his body. By now, Dr. McGee and Captain Lance had pulled back into the time vault while Cisco, Thea, and Caitlin were facing Magma, taunting him to follow them; all so that they could make him chase them to one of the lower rooms where they stored liquid nitrogen.

It was going to be their 'hail Mary'.

They never made it there. Magma shattered the ice that encased him, and then fired streams of magma directly at Cisco and the others.

"Run!" screamed Caitlin as the stream approached them. However, they were rooted at the spot in fear as a wall of magma approached them; the heat already starting to melt the walls. Suddenly, the air started to get chilly as their breath condensed in the air. Almost immediately, the wall of magma slowed down as it started to crystalize and then ice over. Cisco and Thea looked over at a panting Caitlin whose hair had turned white. The floor underneath her was frosting over while her eyes and lips turned a bright blue. They could see icy mist coming off her body and freezing the ceiling above and she stepped forward and tapped the iced up magma.

"Caitlin," said a concerned Cisco as he recalled Killer Frost from Earth Two, "whatcha doing?"

Caitlin ignored Cisco and Thea as the ice shattered to reveal a stunned Magma.

"Fire and ice, what do you…"

"Shut up," whispered Caitlin as she tilted her head while Magma's arms started to tremble. He then started to shiver as the glow in his arms started to fade while he wrapped them around himself and shivered. His mouth was chattering while struggling to ask what was happening to him. However, Cisco and Thea knew what was happening as they watched frost covering the man's arms from the inside out.

"Caitlin," said Thea taking a step forward just before she was suddenly pulled away, and shielded by Cisco, when Magma's rapidly frozen body exploded. Once all the frozen debris was on the floor, Cisco and Thea looked back at Caitlin who looked at her hands, and then back at the two of them.

"Gu… guys?" asked a stunned Caitlin Snow with wisps of mist rising from her hands, "what.. what's happening to me?"

**Sunnydale, Unknown Earth, One year and two months since Barry's arrival.**

It has been little over a year since Barry arrived on this new Earth, and he had all but lost hope in Cisco bringing his back to Earth One. Due to the possibility of spending years in this particular Earth, and even with Willow trying a very powerful spell that had could have sent some sort of a signal to Cisco, Barry knew he had to move on with his life.

However, the spell was a failure since he still remained in Sunnydale. So Barry started his new life with an open mind by making a symbolic first gesture. It was only a week ago that he moved to a new one bedroom apartment with the help of Buffy, Dawn, Giles, and Xander while Anya stayed busy at the Magic Box. He even bought some basic furniture such as a couch and a bed, instead of continuing to sleep on air-mattresses.

Barry was having fun teaching at Sunnydale Middle School; his students liked him, so did the teachers, and the parents… some of whom discreetly tried to make a pass at him. He still remembered the mother of one of his students asking to talk to him about her son after dinner over six months ago. The young man could only chuckle nervously before shaking his head and saying it would be improper for a teacher to go out with a student's parent.

"There's no such rule," the parent then smirked before walking away with her son. The truth was that he didn't want to go out with her… nor did he want to go out with anyone. But now, Barry knew that he had to try to move on with his life. He knew that, while he still loved Iris, he had to look towards the future.

And it was over the last month that he sensed both Tara and Willow pushing him, in their own clandestine way, towards Buffy. He had gotten close to the two witches; with Willow he was able to discuss science and technology.. basically, the two geeked out over the same things which made the incoherent babbling between them fun to hear. As for Tara, Barry simply felt comfortable around her. He couldn't tell if it was because of her simplicity or quiet strength, but he felt extremely comfortable around her. As for Giles and Joyce, he got on well with the both of them as well; the latter having slowly become something of a mother figure to him. He'd have fun with Xander and had no problems in spending time with Anya. Barry and Dawn got on well too, the speedster was able to guess that the young girl could probably be a certified genius. He compared her and Willow with Caitlin and Felicity; two genius level women who had the world at their finger tips.

Between all of them though, Barry thought that he and Buffy were in similar circumstances in terms of their powers. The both of them had to live double lives while helping and saving people. They fought dark forces that threatened to uproot life as they knew it, and the both of them had power given to them by fate. Buffy was a mystically powered warrior, and Barry was chosen by the bolt of lightning that gave him his powers.

Barry would help Buffy and the other Scoobies beat back a few demons whenever they would ask for help. But for the majority of the time, Barry dealt with crime in Sunnydale, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles while Buffy dealt with the supernatural. Then there was the situation with Spike, he wasn't seen in Sunnydale following Barry transporting him to an island in the South Pacific.

The truth was no one knew exactly where he was.

After a day of classes, work, stopping demons, and stopping crime in three major cities, the Scoobies and Barry met at the Bronze. It was a daily ritual that the Scoobies introduced to Barry so that they could unwind after a hectic day. With the music pumping from the wall mounted speakers, the group found a cozy nook close to the dance floor, and then took some seats on the couches. Barry was sitting next to Buffy while Tara was with Willow, and Anya with Xander.

"Drinks?" asked Xander as he stood up from his couch. Everyone gave their drink orders to Xander, and then Willow and Tara got up to accompany him to the bar. With Barry and Buffy together looking at the field of dancing bodies, Tara nudged him as she passed the young man. Barry looked up and narrowed his eyes at the blonde witch who looked back at him. He saw a playful glint in her eyes as she nodded towards Buffy while the Slayer was leaning forward while looking at the people dancing. She was scanning for any possible vampires before she turned towards Barry who looked away after sticking his tongue at a chuckling Tara who just walked away.

She glanced over at Barry who was tapping his foot on the ground to the beat of the music while looking at the floor. Buffy could see that he was trying to hide a smirk on his face, and it made her wonder what he was thinking. After everything that happened with Angel; an ensouled Vampire who was centuries older than her with a penchant for losing his soul if he had a moment of pure happiness, and thus becoming a dangerous beast, Buffy wasn't sure about being in a relationship again.

And then there was Riley. He was supposed to be the normal, grounded guy. But he kept secret the fact that he was part of the Initiative, a military project. And even after telling Buffy the truth, she felt that that he was too needy, 'no, not needy. I loved him but there was something about the both of us that made it impossible to work. I guess there was a part of him that felt jealous that I had all of this power, and maybe I didn't give him a lot of my time. But… I don't know. Maybe I was right in going after him that night when he left? Maybe it made me realize that I didn't need him.'

She then looked away and pretended to read a magazine while leaning back on her seat. Buffy felt that Barry had the possibility of being in between Riley and Angel. He was slightly older than her, he wouldn't lose his soul, and he had his own powers so he understood the responsibility that she had with her own abilities. And he had been a CSI, and was now a teacher; Buffy felt he was in a slightly better place than her and better grounded than the others she had dated before.

'I'm not talking about dating,' thought Buffy to herself as she put the magazine on the table in front of them, and then turned towards Barry, 'say something. You've known this guy for a little over a year, so say something.'

"Still nothing from Cisco?" whispered Buffy leaning into Barry's left shoulder over the din of the thumping music while, at the same time, Buffy was mentally screaming at herself, 'that's the best thing you could say?!'.

"Nothing," answered Barry into Buffy's ear, "I have to hope that he's still searching for me, but I don't know how long it's going to take for him to find me. And this is like the fourth time you asked."

"I know," chuckled Buffy as she turned towards Barry and without realizing it she swept some of her own blonde hair behind her ear, "I guess we've gotten used to having you around in Sunnydale. I mean Dawn, Tara, Willow and the others would hate to see you go back home."

"And you won't?" asked Barry as Buffy frowned.

"You know, we really never did start off on the right foot when we first met," said Buffy, changing the subject, into his ear as the floor slightly shuddered thanks to the footfalls on the dance floor, "and I never apologized for being so… well, like a jerk."

"You were suspicious," said Barry shrugging his shoulders, "and I didn't really do my bit to mix around with you guys. Plus there was the whole secret identity thing, So I guess the both of us are at fault."

"Yea," said Buffy nodding her head.

"Listen," said Barry, "I know it's kind of out of the blue, and I really haven't said anything about this for the past year and… well… after work tomorrow, you wanna grab a drink? A coffee at the Espresso Pump?"

"What about… well, Iris?" asked Buffy as she stared at Barry.

"Honestly? She's still going to be with me in my heart where-ever I go," said Barry, "but I guess it's time I started to move on. So, if you don't mind my baggage, would you like to grab a coffee tomorrow?"

"As long as you don't mind my own baggage?" asked Buffy with an eye-brow raised.

"So, coffee?" nodded Barry.

"Coffee it is then," said Buffy nodding her head, "Coffee it is."

TBC.

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Sunnydale Middle School, Unknown Earth, 1700 hours.**

It was a day of marking his student's homeworks and then updating the rolls that Barry finally got off his seat in the teachers room. He logged off the computer, picked up his bag, and the left into the hallway with various doors along the walls leading to classrooms. Barry walked through the silent hallways given that a majority of the students had already returned home. There were a few students still in the school judging from the stifled laughter and talking in the distance from one of the Homeroom classes. Barry peeked in through the square glass pane on the door and saw a class of five students who were placed into detention, and chuckled as he walked off. He shifted the strap that lay on his shoulder as he continued walking while wondering what if he should bring anything for his 'date' with Buffy.

'Maybe a flower?' thought Barry to himself as he walked onwards through the hallway. He then sighed and shook his head while continuing to think to himself, 'maybe not a flower. A flower says that I want to have something romantic and... and do I want something romantic? Or do I just want to take it slow and see where it goes? Is Buffy expecting something more or...? No, we agreed to just talk and get our baggage into the open.'

Sighing once again, Barry continued to walk towards the exit. And once he did, Barry look around and seeing a nearly empty parking lot, he walked towards his bicycle. The young man still needed the bicycle as a cover or else he would be continuously asked questions from his curious colleagues about how he was able to make it to the school on foot. He also couldn't tell them hat he was getting a ride from Joyce, even though she offered, since it would appear he was being favouring Dawn. Plus, it would look inappropriate.

Once Barry unlocked the bicycle, he rode it to a secluded area before speeding off to his apartment.

**Buffy's Room, Stevenson Hall, U.C. Sunnydale, thirty minutes earlier.**

Buffy was in her dorm room standing in front of her closet mirror while a pile of clothes lay on her bed. Behind her, Willow and Tara were sitting on the formers bed while giving a thumbs up or thumb down at the clothes that the blonde Slayer was trying on in front of them.

"I thought you said this was just coffee?" asked Willow with a smirk on her face as she remembered Buffy telling her and Tara last night, after returning to their room in Stevenson Hall, that she was going out for coffee with Barry. Buffy frowned when Willow and Tara high fived each other before saying that they were glad she was finally going out on a date; especially after the whole situation with Riley.

"It's not a date," Buffy had said last night. However, what Tara and Willow were staring at now with smirks on their faces showed something wildly different. Buffy had already tried multiple combinations of clothes with a look of worry on her face as she changed her clothes after wearing one combination after another.

"I thought you said it's not a date," chuckled Willow as she sat cross legged on the bed while Tara hopped off and then rummaged through Buffy's clothes. In the meantime, Buffy whined while looking at Willow's reflection on the mirror, and then at the reflection of the purple blouse and cream coloured slacks she was wearing Buffy spun around and asked her friends what they thought. However, the stares that she got from the two young women were enough to take off her blouse and slacks leaving her in her underwear while she stood with her hands in her hips in frustration.

"You could wear just that," said Willow while she was motioning towards Buffy's half naked form. Tara covered her mouth and stifled a laugh while Buffy's mouth was hanging open. Willow fell on her side giggling while Tara playfully mocked Buffy by saying that Barry probably wouldn't mind.

"Tara!" cried Buffy as she sat on her bed and lay down on her clothes while Tara was giggling at the redness on Buffy's face. The Slayer then turned her head towards Tara who was struggling to stifle her laughter while she continued rummaging the clothes on the bed.

"Maybe I should cancel," whispered Buffy as she sat up and frowned. The two witches suddenly stopped laughing, with Willow rushing to sit next to Buffy and then placing an arm around her shoulders. She leaned sideways and whispered that she needed to slowly move on from Riley.

"And if you think about it," said Tara as the two young women looked at her while she walked to Buffy's closet and opened the door to look through the remaining clothes. Tara was pushing aside one dress after another while saying, "I think... and Willow agrees with me, that you and Barry are the perfect match."

Buffy then arched an eye-brow at her suddenly nervous red-headed best friend who squeaked, "we were discussing it."

"And what was your discussion, pray-yell?" asked Buffy narrowing her eyebrows.

"Well," said Willow as Tara picked out a dress, looked at it, and then put it back into the closet, "if you think about it, the both of you have powers. The both of you are super-heroes, the both of you have you own responsibilities so... so let's say that you have to go fight vamps and demons out of the blue, then you'd understand."

"And if he has to go fight crime.. let's say its something big, then you'd understand," added Tara as she grabbed four hangers, and placed them next to Buffy.

"But then," said Buffy as she looked at Willow, and then at Tara, and back at Willow, "let's say.. and this is all hypothetical, lets say that we star dating. He's still hung up on Iris, and.."

"YOU still have feelings for Angel," said Willow as she realized that maybe Buffy was trying to find an excuse to get out of coffee with Barry. There was no way that she and Tara were going to let the ensouled vampire be a distraction. The both of them, Xander, Joyce, and Dawn wanted Buffy to be happy in her normal, non-Slayer, life... and they felt that Angel was an easy fall back who she had no future with, "and don't get us wrong, Buffy. All of us like him, but are you really going to be happy just waiting for Angel?"

"You opened yourself to Riley," said Tara as she sat next to Buffy, "and yes he hid secrets from you, but you already know Barry's major secret. That he's the Flash."

"You know he's from another Earth," smiled Willow, "and I think that's a bigger deal than him being a superhero."

"And you know those big secrets, Buffy," Tara said rubbing her back before nodding at the clothes behind her, "now, come on, put on the stuff I got out for you."

It would be several minutes later that Buffy walked down the stairs to the sidewalk in front of Stevenson Hall. Tara picked out a pair of jeans while Willow selected a buttoned up sleeveless shirt, both of which were not flammable, before sending Buffy on her way. Buffy was literally pushed out of the dorm room, with Tara and Willow reassuring her that they would take care of putting away the clothes. Willow then said that they wanted Buffy to enjoy herself, and added that she needed to take her time to get to know Barry, and then closed the door. Buffy chuckled as she heard Willow and Tara moving about before she walked down the stairs, and now found herself outside her dorm.

Sighing, Buffy turned around and started walking towards the end of the sidewalk where she would take a left and head for a nearby bus stop. She was walking with her hands in her pockets when she saw a bus heading her way. Buffy ran as fast as humanly possible, being a mystically powered warrior that is, and headed for the bus that would take her downtown to main street. Once she got on the bus, and then sat down, Buffy leaned back on her seat and told herself to take it slow.

'What if he brings flowers for me?' thought Buffy to herself as she looked out the window, 'what does that mean? Does that mean that he wants to go out some more after today, or… you know, I wish I had a phone to call mom and Dawn for advice and… oh! I do have a phone.'

Buffy took out the phone that Barry had given her, and was about to dial her home number when she suddenly stopped, winced, and then placed the phone back into her pocket while thinking to herself, 'stop acting like a twelve-year-old girl. You've dated before, so just stay calm and see what happens. Take it easy, Buffy. Just take it easy.'

"Why do I wish I had a demon to fight?" Buffy whispered as the bus continued on its way while she looked out the window.

**The Espresso Pump, 1720 hours.**

Barry was already waiting outside the coffee place where he had once worked waiting for Buffy. The young man was still wondering what this was, "a date? Not a date date? Or just not a date?"

He was whispering to himself as he paced near the stairs that led up to the main floor where there were various tables and chairs that were empty. But Barry knew it wouldn't be empty for long since the after-work crowd was going to be swamping the place in under thirty minutes. Barry sighed while running his hand through his hair, and then he straightened out the hair he had already messed up before mentally kicking himself.

'What are you so worried about, Barry?' he asked himself while looking down the road, "its been more than a year. Come on, Cisco found you while you were in the Speed Force…. So if he can't find you now when a year has gone past? Then dude? It's probably time to continue with your life.'

Barry sighed. He knew that his mental self was right, that it was best to continue on with his life. Oddly enough, it was the same argument he had been having even before Buffy asked him out for coffee.

"Or was it me who asked Buffy for coffee?" he whispered as he tried to remember while his hands started to get clammy.

'Oh come on!' Barry mentally screamed before wiping his hands and then looking down the street for the bus that Buffy said she'd be on, 'you offered to run Buffy over. But she said that she'd rather have taken the bus, that she was afraid her clothes would burn off. So… lets place this is context; Buffy didn't want you to pick her up. Basically, it's not a date.'

"Alright," said Barry smiling while rubbing his hands together, "so it's not a date. I'm not obliged to bring flowers to a non-date date. Maybe I pay for coffee or… oh come on, Allen. You dated Linda and Pattie. Buffy's just another girl and… except she's not JUST another girl. What if she expects flowers? Ok.. ok.. ummm.. I'll call Xander and…'

Barry rolled his eyes upwards when he realized that Xander would not only tell Buffy that he didn't think flowers were appropriate, but that he's also make fun of him, 'and I'll get that from Cisco too if I asked him that same question. But then again, he was a great navigator for me during my date with Pattie when I was blind and…'

Barry's mind went silent when he saw the bus approaching the bus stand on the other side of the street a block down from where he was standing. But even from this distance, he could make out Buffy getting up from her seat and walking towards the exit door. He saw her blonde hair cascading down to her shoulders and her sleeveless shirt. She gave him a small wave, which he returned, before he started going down the two stairs out of the bus.

It was during that second when Buffy took a step down that Barry made a decision. He sped off to the closest florist, picked out a flower, dropped a few dollars, and then ran off behind the buss and to the side of the exit. All done within the two seconds it took for Buffy to exit the bus.

"Hey," smiled Buffy as the bus drove off. The air it kicked up from is wake making her hair move slightly, "I thought you were… I mean… it's good to see you, Barry."

"Good to see you too," Barry replied before giving the Slayer the rose he was hiding behind his back. Buffy was slightly surprised, but a smile nevertheless appeared in her lips before she took the flower, smelled it's scent, and then gave the young man a wider smile. Buffy's mind was racing as she looked at Barry, and wondered if he wanted this 'date' to be a real date because of the flower he had given her. She looked at the flower, and then back at Barry before wondering if she should actually take a chance again.

"Thanks for the rose," Buffy said as she took a step forward while deciding to come clean, "I have to admit that I didn't know if this was going to be a.. you know… date-date. I mean…"

"I didn't know either, to tell you the truth," admitted Barry as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. The both of them stared at each other before chuckling at the ridiculousness of it all. The both of them were adults, and had the right to see where this drink of coffee would take them. Barry told her that he wasn't sure how she'd take the flower, and admitted that he got the flower a few seconds ago when he saw her in the bus.

"How about we talk… just talk, over coffee," said Buffy. Barry smiled and held out his hand. Buffy grabbed it and then the both of them headed to the Espresso Pump where they spent the next four hours drinking coffee and having some cakes. They talked about everything there was to talk about, with Buffy talking about Angel; including who he really was and the relationship the both of them had. Barry was stunned to learn that she had fallen in love with a vampire who lost his soul the first time they were intimate.

"And no puns about me bringing out the beast in men," said Buffy as she narrowed her eyes at Barry who leaned back on his seat with his hands up and chuckling.

"I wouldn't dare, not if I want to keep on living," grinned Barry as Buffy laughed while shaking her head. She then continued to her life after Angel, to College, to Parker – who Barry offered to send to Greenland, and finally to her relationship with Riley and the problems with the Key. Then it was Barry's turn to talk about everything that happened with his life from the death of his mother, to living with Joe, to his crush on Iris, to the day that he met Oliver, to getting hit by the lightning. He spoke about the Reverse-flash and Zoom, and then told Buffy that the rest was history as the Slayer listened intently to a condensed version of important parts of Barry's past. Buffy took one last sip before leaning back and stared at the table for a little bit.

"Our lives are kinda interesting, huh?" said Buffy as she looked up at Barry who nodded his head.

"Yeah," he replied while the cup of coffee he had been drinking was being held on between his hands. He then looked around and noticed the time before turning to Buffy who was looking at the clock over the counter. Barry leaned forward and decided to take a risk; a very big risk since there was a voice in the back of his mind saying that Cisco could find him tomorrow. Barry took in a deep breath before saying, "you know, it's getting late and… well, I don't know if you have any plans but do you want to have some dinner?"

Buffy turned her head back at Barry, her mouth hanging slightly open while she tried to make sure of what he just asked her. It was something that she thought she was mentally prepared for, but discovered that there was a part of her that wasn't prepared. Buffy leaned forward and was about to say that maybe it would be better to take it even slower, but what escaped her lips was the exact opposite.

"Sure," smiled Buffy while she mentally kicked herself before asking if she was doing the right thing. The both of them then got up off their chairs and, arm in arm, headed towards the stairs out of the Espresso Pump. They walked down the stairs and onto the sidewalk before the both of them walked to a nearby restaurant.

It would be another two hours later, where each one of them found out in their own way that they really did fit with each other, when Barry walked Buffy up the stairs to the front lobby of Stevenson Hall. They entered the nearly empty lobby, which had only three people talking on the set of couches in the middle near the mailboxes, and the walked up the stairs to Buffy's floor. They walked arm in arm until reaching Buffy's door where they stopped, and Buffy turned to look him in his eyes.

"It was a good night," said Buffy who was unconsciously still holding onto Barry's hand.

"Yea," replied Barry when a smile suddenly appeared, leading Buffy to smile as well before asking what he was thinking about.. Barry said that he was wondering if dinner counted as a second date.

"But was the coffee a date-date?" asked Buffy.

"I thought it wasn't at first," said Barry, "then I saw you in the bus and thought it should be, and thus the flower."

"Then I accept this dinner as a second date," whispered Buffy as she stepped forward when the young woman suddenly flinched upon hearing soft footsteps on the other side of the room. Specifically, two sets of footsteps. Buffy mentally chuckled while imagining Willow and Tara pressing their ears against the wooden door trying to listen in to what the two of them were saying, "you know, I think Willow and Tara are listening in."

Barry chuckled as he glanced at the door and then back at Buffy. It was then he noticed that the both of them were holding each others hands, and then he looked up into her brown eyes. His eyes went down to her lips while he leaned forward.

"Coffee, Tomorrow?" asked Buffy as she looked up and tilted her head as Barry got closer, their lips nearly touching, "or lunch at the middle school once I'm done with my class at twelve?"

"It's a date," whispered Barry before Buffy got up on her toes, wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, and kissed him. The kiss lasted for a few seconds as Barry returned the kiss and ran his hand through her hair before they parted/ realizing what just happened as they gave in to the situation, Barry and Buffy stared at each other with Barry tasting Buffy's lip gloss on his own lips. He then shook his head and pushed all doubt aside before confirming their date for tomorrow. It was something that made Buffy smile as he let go of her hands before saying that he was going to be patrolling for a little bit.

"Me too," nodded Buffy.

"Call me if.. if you need any help," said Barry who stepped back and was about to turn when Buffy said that his phone was always with her. Barry nodded his head and turned when he suddenly stopped moving. Turning around again to face Buffy again, he took a few steps forward and kissed her again. Buffy returned the kiss as her heart raced. Buffy broke the kiss and looked into Barry's eyes as he said that they'll be meeting tomorrow.

"Goodnight, Barry," said Buffy.

"Goodnight, Buffy," Barry replied before knocking on the door and saying, "goodnight Willow, Tara."

"Night, Barry," the two girls shouted from behind the door before breaking out in giggles. Barry turned to Buffy again, smiled, and then dashed off at super-speed. Sighing, Buffy opened her door and stared at an innocent looking Willow and Tara who asked how their date went.

"It was good," said Buffy as she showed them the rose Barry got her earlier that day, "I'll tell you guys everything during our patrol."

And she did. While Buffy was wiping out a nest of vampires with Xander, Anya, Willow, and Tara by her side… she told them about their date. Once she dusted the last vampire that made the crypt their home, Buffy said that they were going on another date the next day. As they were heading back to the Summers home for some after-slaying merriment, Barry was in Los Angeles stopping a robbery and various other crimes. He even stopped a demon that was attacking a few humans before he left the scene. What he didn't see was a man in a black overcoat who had been tracking the demon for the past few hours. It was responsible for the deaths of twelve people, and was about to add two more when the yellow lightning encircled him before firing a bolt into the demon.

"Get out of here," said the man as the potential victims ran past him while he took out an axe. He approached the unconscious demon and looked down at it while raising the axe over his head, and then bringing it down hard. He severed the demon's head, picking it up while saying that it needed to be incinerated. The man slipped into a manhole cover with the head and walked towards his base of operations, Angel Investigations.

'The Streak's been operating here, Santa Barbara and Sunnydale,' thought the man to himself, 'maybe Buffy knows him? If he operates in Sunnydale, then she has to know him. But then again, she may not know who he is or… oh forget it, Angel. If this Streak was a bad guy, then Buffy would have told you to keep an eye out. And so far, he's been stopping crime throughout the city. So what the hell, he's helping us out without knowing it… helps us a bit; although Cordy's been complaining about potential loss of business. But the way I see it, this is only the third demon he's taken care of, and we are a business that targets the Paranormal mostly. I'll convince her we still have a viable business.'

Angel continued walking through the severs while trying to imagine the look on Cordelia's face when she hears about the Streak defeating another demon.

"What fun," said Angel sarcastically before chuckling, "at least Buffy has some help, at least if she knows the Streak."

TBC.

 


	14. Chapter 14

**STAR Labs, seconds after Magma's defeat.**

Caitlin felt her skin freezing as she watched her own hands were wisps of frost, like smoke, was flowing out of her hands and into the air. She then looked up at Cisco after instinctively freezing Magma's body from the inside out. She thought that her powers drew his heat away from his body until he froze.

And then he shattered; his frozen pieces lying all around them.

But what just happened didn't matter as she looked at the fear and confusion on the faces of Cisco and Thea respectively. She understood Thea's confusion, the young woman had just been introduced to a new world consisting of metahumans, instead of villains and heroes who were more grounded in scope. But it was the fear, the small hint of it at least, on Cisco's face as he stared at Caitlin with eyes wide open that broke her heart. She believed that he now saw her as Killer Frost, the very same one who was killed by Zoom back on Earth One.

Tears gathered and fell down Caitlin's cheeks, but quickly froze half-way down while a blue tint covered her vision as Cisco and Thea started to shiver.

"Cisco," said Caitlin standing rooted to the spot, "help.. help me. I… I… please… help me."

Cisco wrapped his arms around himself while his teeth chattered, his breath condensing as soon as it left his mouth. He turned to the shivering Thea and told her to get the others from the time vault, and then she and Dr. McGee needed to get every heat lamp they had in the storage room two floors above them.

"G… go," stammered Cisco before turning to Caitlin as his legs started to shake. He was looking at his friend who looked more terrified than evil despite the blue tint in her eyes, and he told himself that the Killer Frost he met on Earth Two was someone who was ostracised from the people she loved. Despite his heart racing, and goosebumps forming on his arms, Cisco kept on telling himself that this wasn't that Caitlin Snow.

He kept on telling himself that this Caitlin in front of him had friends and people who loved her.

Before he could say anything, Cisco's knee buckled as the floor under him started to frost over. He went on one knee while Caitlin's eyes went wide open at her inability to 'turn-off' her power.

"I.. I don't know what to do," said a terrified Caitlin who watched the frost turn to ice and then travel up Cisco's shoe slowly while the knee on the floor started to ice over. Cisco cried out saying that the ice was too cold.

"Ice is supposed to be cold!" exclaimed a worried Caitlin who dared not wave her hands in case something happened. However, something did happen as the ice covering Cisco spread faster up to his lower leg, encasing his trousers, and going up to his belt.

"Caitlin," said Cisco shivering as he watched the ice moving up to his abdomen with a cracking sound as the atmosphere started to get colder, "calm down."

"I can't calm down because you tell me to calm down!" cried Caitlin as the ice spread much faster to just below his chest. Cisco was panting as he tried to keep conscious from the extreme cold while Caitlin stood rooted in place.

"Caitlin," whispered Cisco who was afraid of hypothermia as he felt his body start to warm up while starting to lose sensations in his feet and upper body. HE knew that they were terrified, and he needed to distract himself and Caitlin, especially Caitlin, "listen to me, do you think Thea's cute?"

"What?" asked a confused Caitlin as the ice started to slow its encroachment to his chest.

"I was thinking, you know, we've been working together for a little while now and… well, I think she's kinda attractive," said Cisco who was struggling to stay conscious while chattering his teeth between speaking to his friend, "do you think Oliver's going to be alright with me asking her out? Or do you think he's going to kill me? Or will she kill me for asking her out?"

"Cisco, I…"

"I'm trying to distract us both, Caitlin," he mumbled, "please, I just need the both of us to come out of this okay. We're both scared so… please. Just work with me?"

"I.. I think she'll say yes," Caitlin said before spouting out reasons why she thought Thea would be wrong for not going out on a date with him. As Caitlin continued to speak, they heard footsteps running towards them with Joe and Quentin yelling their names and asking if they were alright.

Cisco looked down at the ice which stopped moving and said that they were going to be fine, but it was going to take some time for them to move.

"Oh my God," said Joe as he and Quentin took off their jackets before wrapping them around the ice that covered Cisco. Quentin looked up at the terrified young woman and asked her if she was going to be alright.

"She is going to be great," said Cisco while chattering his teeth, "I already have a name for her"

"Cisco," said Catlin, "I… I'm doing all I can to not be scared and you…"

"How about Snowcap?" asked Cisco while Quintin shook his head before running down the hallway to search for something that could break the ice covering Cisco.

"All those metahuman names and the best you can come up with is Snowcap?" asked Joe while Caitlin looked away and said that she was a danger if she couldn't get these powers under control.

"Frost," said Cisco as Caitlin looked back at him, "not Killer Frost, just simply Frost. Caitlin… you… you're her opposite. Complete opposite of her. You met her before… do you think she's like you?"

"She went through the same things that…" muttered Caitlin.

"No," Cisco corrected her, "she didn't. She didn't have us. You do… we love you Caitlin, and I know you know that. You have Barry, me, Joe, Iris, Wally, Jessie, Thea… name whoever you want, and you have them by your side. She didn't, Cait. You're our Frost."

"I…." said Caitlin as her blue eyes turned back to their natural colour. She knew that Cisco was right; the situation between herself and her doppelganger were completely different; Dr. Caitlin Snow has her friends to watch over her…. Killer Frost did not."

"You aren't Killer Frost, Caitlin," said Joe shaking his head.

"Besides," said Cisco as he tried his hardest to put a smirk on his numb face, "when we're watching the big game, you'll always be there to make sure the drinks are ice cold. Get it?"

"Cute," quipped Caitlin tilting her head while Cisco grinned. His expression then got serious before asking Caitlin if she could reverse the ice that was covering his body since, in a few more minutes, he'd be getting frostbite. She shook her head before saying she didn't even know how she managed to use her ice powers in the first place. She then told Joe that she didn't even dare move in case the ice responded to her movements and restarted covering Cisco. Joe nodded his head before making sure that the jackets fully covered the ice that was had already encased Cisco to his chest when they heard voices and footsteps coming towards them.

"Got it, got it, got it," yelled Thea carrying a rectangular shaped heat lamp, one in each hand, with Quintin, and Dr. McGee close behind. Thea set the two lamps she was carrying alongside Cisco while Dr. McGee, who was surprised by Caitlin's silver hair, placed two lamps alongside her before activating them at their highest setting. Caitlin and Cisco looked at each other before the young woman shifted her eyes towards the worried Thea who was talking to Quintin before looking at Cisco and then at her. Caitlin was trying to signal to Cisco to simply ask Thea on a date given his earlier confession. However, Cisco simply said out loud that he was trying to distract Caitlin… and he succeeded in distracting her.

"Distracted her how?" asked Quintin.

"Oh, it was something," said Cisco shaking his head silently begging Caitlin not to say anything, "just a typical Cisco-Caitlin joke."

"Right," Thea said nodding her head. However, the tone of her voice indicated that she didn't believe Cisco who was already getting warmed up as the ice began to melt. IN the meantime, Dr. McGee rushed to Caitlin who asked her to stay back; that she didn't feel as if she was in control.

"Nonsense," said Dr. McGee who noticed the retreating frost on the floor, and then at the still frozen body parts. She turned to Caitlin once again and said that from a cursory glance, she could see that the body parts were frozen from the inside out… while Cisco was only covered by the ice forming around him. Dr McGee told Caitlin, as she felt her pulse, that she was already partly controlling her power given that Cisco wasn't dead. And just as Dr. McGee mentioned Cisco's name again, there was a thud as a block of ice fell onto the floor. Caitlin, disregarding her own warnings, ran past Dr. McGee towards Cisco and started to help Quintin, Thea, and Joe break the ice. Once the ice was gone, scattered all over the floor, the two jackets were placed directly on Cisco before he was quickly rushed away to a lab so that he could remove all his wet clothes and get warmed up.

With Cisco alive, Caitlin breathed a sigh of relief.

It would be later, after bringing Caitlin to a lab, that Dr. McGee told Caitlin she needed her help in diagnosing her condition, how her powers activated, and a way to control them. However, Caitlin kept on saying that she didn't want her powers since she was afraid of becoming like Killer Frost eventually. That led Dr. McGee to say the young woman was being foolish… that Caitlin had worked with meta-humans far more times than her when she headed Mercury Labs.

"You and Cisco are the only ones I know who have experience with meta-human biology, Dr. Snow," said Dr. McGee, "and I need your help to ensure you have as much of a normal life as possible with these new powers. You don't want to be like this Killer Frost whoever she is? Then lean on us, and we'll make sure you don't. But we…. I need your help to help you control this. Can you help me?"

"Ye.. yes," said Caitlin who was slightly surprised at the stern look on the woman's face. Dr McGee then nodded her head before reaching for a laser thermometer that showed her that the air surrounding Caitlin was lower in temperature than the rest of the room. Caitlin then asked if it was possible that she was drawing the heat away from the surrounding air.

"It's possible," said Dr. McGee before saying that they needed do a full body scan, "but it's more likely that you are literally freezing the surrounding air around you. Dropping the temperature around or inside any living being. I think with concentration you could freeze solid objects until it was brittle enough to crack with a tap of the finger. Whatever it is, we'll find out what's going on, and at the same time find a way to control your abilities."

All Caitlin could do was nod her head while hoping that Dr. McGee was correct in her assessment.

**STAR Labs, two months later.**

Caitlin was facing Thea as the latter helped guide the silver haired young woman meditate as a way of controlling her abilities in conjunction with the dampening bracelets developed by both Cisco and Dr. McGee. It had been two months since her powers activated and after a night where she froze her entire apartment because of a nightmare that she would became Killer Frost and kill all her friends, Caitlin began staying in a special room that was lined with specially made heat lamps lining the walls. It would be here that she'd sleep while covering her eyes with a mask. It wasn't the most comfortable situation, but it did slow down the room from being frozen during her sleep. So, instead of the room being a 'winter wonderland' of snow and ice as what happened to her old apartment, there was a thin layer of frost that covered her, the walls, the heat lamps, and the floor.

It would be two weeks later that Cisco and Dr. McGee presented her with the bracelets; they contained dampeners that would neutralize meta-human abilities. They were a design that Cisco was using to create new arrows for Thea's quiver, as well as handcuffs for the Central City Police Department so that they could appended metahumans together with the 'Boot' device.

Caitlin had been wearing the bracelets everyday.. only taking them off for a few hours a day to train in in the use of her powers. Since she was the only one she knew who had ice based abilities, Caitlin had to come up with unique tests for herself with Cisco and Dr. McGee by her side, while Thea helped her with self-defence while her powers were neutralized. Back in the present day, as she continued her meditation, Caitlin and Thea were interrupted by an excited knock on the door.

"Hey Cait," said an excited Cisco, "you need to see something, quick."

"You do know what this is about, right?" whispered Thea with a smirk as the both of them rose to their feet. Caitlin smiled before saying that she had already told Cisco 'no' many times, and that he refused to listen. Thea gave off a small smile and continued speaking, "you know he'd never stop, right?"

"I know," sighed Caitlin as she opened the door to her room in STAR Labs where the heat lamps had bee deactivated for the past one and a half months. She was still looking for a new apartment since her references from her landlord in her old one were horrible. It was something she couldn't blame the poor man, especially since the ice and snow caused by her nightmare melted and flooded the entire apartment. Caitlin opened the door and smiled at Cisco who was rubbing his hands in glee.

He grabbed both their hands and pulled them towards the Cortex where Joe, Quintin, and Dr. McGee were standing in front of a mannequin next to one where Thea's Red Arrow suit was already hanging. Caitlin looked at the uniform next to it and gave a small smile as she approached it with Cisco by her side.

"What do you think?" asked Cisco as he looked at the costume, "I know you said you don't want to go out and fight crime like Thea and Wally as hologram Flash, but I just wanted it to be here in case you wanted to try it out. And I made sure that it looks nothing like what Killer Frost used to wear.

Caitlin looked at the dark blue leather uniform with a bright white six-sided frost emblem in the middle of the chest section, with white lines at the sides of the uniform that emanated from a belt with a circular device that was glowing a faded blue. She asked Cisco about the buckle, and he explained that she couldn't engage in combat effectively while constantly worrying about her powers going out of control. That was true especially since her bracelets had to be deactivated for her powers to work. So the buckle would take care of controlling her abilities in a combat situation.

"Remember you sometimes needed heat so that you didn't go completely out of control?" asked Cisco as Caitlin nodded her head, "well, the buckle has a proprietary energy source, complements of Oliver, that's connected to the suit through various sensors. When those sensors detect that your powers are going out of control, it's release heat energy directly into your body. The amount depends on how much it thinks you need."

"What if… and this is a what if question," said Caitlin while staring at the uniform, "what if I'm facing someone so powerful that I need to push my powers to their limits?"

"The sensors have been programmed to fire the heat blast based on stress levels, heart rate, sweat, adrelenin, and.. well.. there's a lot it'll take into account before it releases the heat blast," said Cisco, "but in case you absolutely need to go all out, or you feel that you're going out of control, there is an override."

"Thanks, Cisco," said Caitlin softly before shaking her head and stepping back, "but… but not now."

"It's here if you need it," Cisco said before Quintin congratulated Caitlin n the uniform before, with hope in his voice, asked Joe if it was time to finally use the cuffs on Laurel. Joe nodded her head when there was a sudden blur with yellow lighting behind it running into the Cortex. Everyone looked on in shock as Wally leaned against a wall before collapsing onto the floor with a jagged piece of glass piercing his side, and blood rushing out.

"We… need to… to talk," he breathed before closing his eyes as Caitlin and Dr. McGee were the first to reach him followed by Joe and the others, the former yelling at his son to open his eyes.

**Sunnydale, Unknown Earth; a little more than two years after Barry's arrival in Sunnydale; 0900 hours.**

While Caitlin and the others were helping to place the badly injured and bleeding Wally onto a bed, Barry was sound asleep while Buffy was patrolling with the rest of the Scoobies. It was around three in the morning when there was a knock on his door, leading Barry to wake up and then get out of bed while mumbling whoever it was to wait for a few seconds. He then placed his feet on the carpet and walked to the door. Seeing a slightly injured and bruised Buffy through the peephole on his door, a worried Barry opened it only to be pushed back by the blonde Slayer. She then kicked the door shut while wrapping her arms around the back of Barry's neck and then leaning in to kiss him.

"Rough night, huh?" Barry mumbled while continuing to kiss Buffy who was pushing him past the living room and into the small hallway with his bedroom in the end. Passing the door frame to Barry's room, Buffy grabbed the edge the wooden door and closed it with her foot while mumbling "uh huh". As the door closed, Buffy was panting as she pulled back and looked into Barry's eyes while biting her lower lip.

"It was a real rough night," she said before kissing him again as the door shut.

The next morning, Barry lay in his side with his arm around Buffy's knee length shirt covered waist as she slept soundly. He slowly opened his eyes to the strawberry scent of her blonde hair which she recently cut until it reached just above her shoulders. Barry listened to her breathing before he moved and lay on his back and looked at the digital clock on the side table which read nine in the morning. Smiling and silently thankful for the weekend which was the only time when Buffy would spend the night in his apartment ever since their sixth month dating each other.

Together for nearly a year and two months, Barry was happy. However, while he kept a framed detailed drawing of his STAR Labs family, around his room… Barry realized that he didn't have pictures or any memorabilia of him and Buffy, or him and the other Scoobies. He did have a snow globe from Dawn as a housewarming gift while Tara and Willow gave him a crystal ball… which he didn't know if it really worked or not.

And the two witches were very vague with their answer.

However, there were no pictures of him and Buffy in the apartment over the time they had been together. He knew that Buffy was being patient, as were everyone else, especially after he told Giles, Joyce, and Dawn that he was the Flash and he really was from another Earth. They knew he missed his Earth One family and that it would take more time to move on.

He wanted to change things today. He thought he had moved on with his life, but there was nothing to show that he acknowledged it.

Barry had already made plans with Buffy, the Scoobies, Joyce, Dawn, and Giles a few days ago to head out to the beach for the day. Back in the present day, he leaned forward and kissed the back of Buffy's shoulder. The Slayer stirred, mumbled incoherently, and then turned to her back and looked at Barry through groggy eyes. She smiled and then said, "morning."

"Morning," whispered Barry as he looked at the yawning Slayer who then stretched her arms over her body before asking Barry for the time. He told her that it was a little after nine in the morning as Buffy moved to her side and faced Barry before saying sorry for coming to him so early last night. She explained that they had to deal with two demonic brothers who thought they could break into the construction site of the new Sunnydale High and gather the spirits of the people who died during the Mayor's rampage. She said that they were planning on calling on some kind of other-dimensional demon that was supposed to grant the brothers god-like powers that would enable them to rule the world.

"But you and the guys stopped them, right?" asked Barry.

"D'uh," said Buffy as she shimmied towards him.

"You could have called me, you know," said Barry softly as he placed his arm under Buffy's head and the Slayer lay on his shoulder, "I saw the bruises all over your body and…"

"And I'm doing great, Barry," she whispered holding onto him, "the pain's gone and.. well… remember what I told you about a Slayer after a big fight?"

"Usually you eat like a horse," Barry chuckled while Buffy gently slapped his arm, "I was surprised you came to my place for… well…"

"Thanks for being here," whispered Buffy before saying that she didn't mind staying longer with him, "I know we decided to take it slow but… I mean if you want, I can come stay here every other day, or…"

"I'd like that," he replied before leaning down to kiss Buffy. It would be a few minutes later that the both of them would get up from bed. Buffy was picking up her clothes from last night lying on the carpet before entering the shower. In the meantime, Barry dashed to the kitchen and then put on some coffee, broke some eggs, and then ran out of the apartment and all the way to a bakery in Los Angeles where Buffy once told him that her parents would get her the most delicious and soft muffins when they were still a family. He then rushed back to the apartment a few minutes later while Buffy turned on the shower. With the coffee dripping into the pot, the eggs ready to be scrambled, the bacon on the counter, and the muffins in their packet of six, Barry smirked before dashing into the shower with Buffy. The Slayer yelped as a spark from the yellow lighting crossed over onto her skin, before kissing him once again as the water from the showerhead flowed down the both of them.

After leaving the shower together and putting on the clothes she left at Barry's closet, Buffy was pleasantly surprised by the muffins on the near the living room table. She asked Barry when he managed to get them, before raising her hands with a smile and saying that it didn't matter. She then, like she was still a little girl, rushed to the package tied with a brown bow and opened it before reaching inside and then biting into one of the muffins.

"Oh God, this is so good," she said as Barry chuckled before making breakfast at super speed and then placing the food on the table. Buffy smiled at him after swallowing the last bite, and told him that not even Angel sent her any muffins from the bakery in L.A.

"Did you tell him?" smirked Barry.

"Yea," chuckled Buffy who reached in and took out another one before biting into it, and then moaning with her eyes closed, "this is way, way better than sex."

"Okay," replied Barry with an eye-brow raised, "I'm not getting those for you after this. I can't compete with a muffin."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Said a sarcastic Buffy before saying that she'll give the rest to her mother and Dawn , "they love these too."

The rest of the day was spent together with Buffy and the others at the beach where Barry had pictures taken with the Blonde Slayer. They played beach football, had a barbeque, and basically enjoyed each other's company under the bright clear skies of Sunnydale. While Barry and the Scoobies were enjoying themselves; in a house on the south side of the city sat three young men in a basement making plans on a white board. So far, only two words were written in the white board; Slayer, and the Streak. The three of them stared at the whiteboard while coming up with more goals… goals that would end with the three of them taking over the city as supervillains.

But they needed to take care of the Slayer and the Streak first. They knew the identity of the Slayer since the three of them had encountered her at one time or another; Jonathan and Andrew encountered her in Sunnydale High, while Warren encountered her during the whole mess with his robotic girlfriend. Their hope was that she knew who the Streak was, and resolved to follow her… while at the same time testing her abilities… until she could lead them to him.

And then the three of them would get rid of the Slayer and the Streak.

TBC.

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Homebase for the Trio, the next day.**

The Summers house was empty with Buffy staying in the dorms, Dawn was in school, and Joyce working at the gallery. The three young men calling themselves the Trio; Warren Mears, Andrew Wells, and Jonathan Levinson were in the back of a black van that belonged to Andrew's uncle. Andrew and Warren were looking at a few miniature camera's while Jonathan was working on a computer with three monitors as he set up the wireless feeds on the devices. Not daring to make any sound while working in case they could be heard, Andrew placed one of the cameras in a garden gnome, and then rushed out and placed the gnome under the shadow of a tree that looked out to the front door of the Summers residence. He then ran back to the van where Jonathan was watching the feed from the camera, making sure it was exactly what they needed to see, before they head out for the U.C. Sunnydale Campus.

Once they parked near Stevenson Hall, Johnathan and Andrew were working on getting the feeds to another camera, with Warren heading to the housing office and asked for a housing application for the next semester. While pretending to work on the application, he took out his laptop and occasionally looked up to make sure that two young women working in the front desk were looking at him. He used his computer to hack into the network and steal Buffy's housing information; especially her room and key card identification number, as well as the card access code. Once he had that information, he sent it to Jonathan in the van. Johnathan then used a machine and programmed a spare key card with that information as Warren headed out of the office while pulling the lip of the cap he was wearing over his face.

With the card ready, Andrew picked up one camera before heading out the side of the van while Johnathan was adjusting the wireless signal for high quality video and audio. Andrew rushed to the front of Stevenson Hall with the key card in his pocket and met Warren at the foot of the stairs. The both of them then rushed up the stairs while Warren, speaking into a tiny microphone on his jacket's lapel asked Jonathan if he was sure that Buffy and her roommate, Willow, was not in her room.

"I really don't want to get kicked in the ass by the Slayer, I want to be doing the ass kicking," whispered Warren, "and we need to surveil her to find out her weaknesses."

"And to see her change," whispered Andrew as the both of them rushed up the stairs to the third floor. Warren smirked as he imagined watching Buffy changing clothes on camera, unaware that she was being watched. His mind swimming with images, he rushed to the door while reaching out his hand for the key.

"But I want to open it," whined Andrew as he took out the keycard while Warren rolled his eyes and then knocked on the door. They waited for a few seconds in case someone was in the room unexpectedly. With no one answering the door, Andrew placed the keycard into the lock, and then pulled it out. They were standing for a second, what actually felt like several hours, and then breathed a sigh of relief when the motors inside the lock whirred and then disengaged the lock.

Andrew pocketed the key while Warren placed his hand on the door handle, and pushed down and then inwards. Rushing into the room, Andrew and Warren looked around while the door closed behind them.

"We're in the lair of the enemy," whispered Andrew while Warren looked around and licked his lips. He walked over to the side of the room that had a desk with a picture of Buffy and a young man, unknown to the two of them it was Barry, tacked to the inside of her desk. Warren sneered at the smile on Barry's face while his arms where around Buffy's hips. It was a picture taken in a photo-booth at the beach from the previous day with Warren eyeing the smile on Buffy's face. In the meantime, Andrew was placing the camera on a high shelf over Willow's desk on the other side of the room while talking through the microphone. He asked Jonathan if he could see everything clearly. The young man answered in the affirmative when he said that from the angle Andrew placed the camera, the could see the entire room clearly… except for parts of Buffy's table.

"Look," said Warren while he was bending down behind the bed. He then pulled out a brown bag from underneath and held it up before placing it on the bed. Andrew looked in awe at the Slavers weapons; stakes, two crossbows, arrows, and knives. He then placed it back down and then under the bed before turning around while Andrew rushed to the window and looked out to a view of the stairs they had rushed up earlier.

Warren asked him to keep a look out while he opened Buffy's closet and looked at the clothes. He then looked down at some drawers and pulled them out slowly. Andrew then had his eyes open up wide when he saw Buffy and Willow walking towards the stairs with bags were swinging on their shoulders. HE then hissed at Warren who waved at him, asking him to give him a second. Andrew frowned and then rushed to where his friend was standing, and what he saw opened his eyes wide while Warren licked his lips.

"That… that… that's…."

"Guys, get out," said Jonathan who accessed the feeds from the lobby and watched Buffy and Willow, the both of them laughing, as they walked into the lobby. He then looked up at the camera which showed Andrew telling Warren to be quick. In the meantime, Warren was looking at a drawer full of Buffy's underwear. The young man, with a hand shaking, reached in and took out a lace pair of panties before stuffing it into his pocket. He then closed the drawer before telling Andrew they needed to get out of there.

While Jonathan was telling Warren and Andrew through their earpieces that Buffy and Willow were already walking up the stairs, the two interlopers rushed out of the room and headed for the stairwell on the other side of the hallway. Just after they entered the stairwell and closed the door behind them, they peeked through the glass pane in the middle of the door. They saw Buffy and Willow walking into the hallway before heading to the room. Warren heard Buffy's laugh while his hand was in his pocket feeling the material of the undergarment he stole.

"I want her," whispered Warren as Buffy walked into the room followed by Willow. It was then that Jonathan said that he was receiving good picture and sound. Warren chuckled before he and Andrew then walked down the stairs to the first floor. They rushed through the lobby and left the dorms while Buffy and Willow placed their bags on their respective beds and talked about plans for the rest of the day.

While Warren and Andrew were rushing to the van, Jonathan knew he had seen Warren taking something from Buffy's closet. He didn't know Warren as well as Andrew, but Jonathan knew that he was a genius. However, he also suspected something darker about him… and as he watched Buffy and Willow change… he looked away. To Jonathan, he still wanted to take over Sunnydale with his friends, but while talking about spying on the Slayer sounded good at the time… seeing Buffy and Willow changing made him feel sick. The excitement of seeing two beautiful girls wore off as Buffy and Willow took off her underwear when the side door of the van opened.

Warren and Andrew rushed in before closing the door behind them and leered at the screen as Buffy and Willow, who were now topless were talking about their dates for later that night with Barry and Tara respectively. They watched as Buffy was laughing at something Willow said while opening her underwear drawer and, without looking, took out some undergarments and placed them on the bed. She then picked up a towel, put on a robe, and then grabbed her clothes before heading to the communal ladies shower.

Jonathan looked at the leering Warren and Andrew and then looked at the floor in embarrassment while they were whistling at the young women. To him, he knew Willow and Buffy very well; the both of them had in fact saved his life a few times…. And Buffy actually prevented him from committing suicide in their senior year of high school.

And despite that, he was responsible for spying on them.

"Shucks," said Andrew after Willow left the room while Warren drooled, "they're gone."

"They'll be back tonight," said Warren before he headed for the driver's seat in the front cab, "next stop, the Magic Box. Then tonight we come back and…"

"I have to go pee," said Jonathan as he opened the side door before Andrew and Warren could say anything, "sorry, it's really bad."

"Didn't we tell you not to have that large iced tea?" said Warren with a frown, "well… get a move on, dude. Two more cameras to place and then… and then we see the Slayer change again…. And again… and again."

"I also have an idea of a contest to test her abilities and the way she thinks," said an excited Andrew before he started waving his arms about after turning off all the monitors in the van, "we could make it like a competition between us."

"I want to hear about it when I get back," replied Jonathan who was fidgeting as he pretended to have an urgent need to head for the restroom. He then turned and shut the door of the van behind him before rushing to the nearest building, Stevenson Hall. He had seen the screens in the van turned off before, from the corner of his eyes, saw Andrew sit down next to Warren who started the van. Jonathan then turned into the walkway that led to Stevenson Hall and, after the doors behind him shut, head for the front desk where he reached in for one of the many copies of the UC Sunnydale newspaper and then looked around. He saw a young woman with a pen, and then rushed to her before grabbing the pen from her hand. The young woman said, "hey!" while at the same time Jonathan profusely apologized and said that he'll have it back to her in a few seconds.

Not wanting to be long in the lobby, since his two friends were waiting out in the van, Jonathan wrote something on the top section of the newspaper, and then folded it before rushing to the young woman and handing her back the pen he "borrowed". He thanked her before rushing up the stairs, and then he stopped when he saw Willow rushing out of her room in a robe. To Jonathan, time had stood still, Willow was supposed to be out of the room earlier, and here she was stepping out.

'She must have come back to get something, and she's just coming out again,' thought Jonathan to himself before stopping a gasp escaping his mouth as Willow, her back to Jonathan, closed her door and started to walk away. Jonathan hung the paper on the railing of the stairs and then rushed down to the landing just before the second floor and yelled in a deep voice.

"Friend of the Slayer! Tonight is the night!" yelled Jonathan in his deepest voice as his throat started to become raw while he rushed down the stairs. Willow turned around after hearing the strange growling voice and narrowed her eyes at the staircase. She then eyed the newspaper hanging on the railing and walked towards it. Upon picking it up, she looked down the stairs and saw no one who could have spoken in that voice.

"Hello?" cried Willow down the stairs before she noticed the U.C. Sunnydale newspaper again and then picked it up off the railing. She just skimmed through it having remembered not seeing it there a few minutes ago after she and Buffy returned from classes. Willow was about to put it away while telling herself that whatever reason that person left the newspaper could wait. It was she folded the paper again that Willow noticed a series of numbers at the top left edge next to the name of the university paper. She then focused on those numbers and narrowed her eyebrows while tilting her head.

'It's an I.P address,' thought Willow to herself while continuing to read the quick message which read, "top left corner of shelf over study table, Willow's side. Act surprised somehow. Will watch at night. Forgive me."

"What?" asked a very confused Willow as she looked at the paper, and then back at the stairs, before heading back into her room again. As she walked in, Willow looked around while closing the door shut behind her. She walked to her side of the room and looked around, but still couldn't find anything as she looked up t the shelf of books. She then looked at the paper while Jonathan rushed back into the van which then drove off.

Willow then frowned as she looked back up at her desk confused. She was still unable to find anything, so she rushed to her computer and input the IP address and then stared at the image on the screen with a stunned look on her face. She found herself, looking at herself, on the computer. She then looked up, got off the bad, and finally saw the micro camera on the high shelf under the shadow cast by a book, and her face went pale. She turned and then rushed to the computer where she saw herself sitting on her bed. Her face paled when she recalled that a few minutes ago, both she and Buffy were naked before they put on their robes and head out for the showers.

"Oh, my God," yelled Willow before she closed her laptop screen and hurried off her bed with her heart racing. Once she was off the bed, Willow stared at her closed laptop while panting as she thought about what to do next. She then rushed to her closet and took out a shirt, and then threw it over the section of the shelf that had the miniature camera before she hurriedly packed some clothes into a bag. She tried to keep herself from vomiting on her bed at the breach of her privacy while she stuffed clothes into her bag. She then rushed to Buffy's side of the room, and opened her closet. Willow then packed some clothes she thought that Buffy may need.

After seven minutes of stuffing the bags, Willow heard the main door open as Buffy walked in wearing a fresh set of cloths, her robe hanging on her arm, and a head of damp hair covered in a towel.

"Will, what are you…?" Buffy was unable to finish her sentence before Willow rushed at her with the two bags in her hands… one of which contained her laptop, and told her that they needed to get out.

"Will? What's..."

"We need to go now, possibly to Tara's apartment," said a stern Willow who was nearly on the verge of tears, "Buffy, we.. we need to go. I need you to call Barry from Tara's place and…"

"Why Barry?" asked a concerned Buffy.

"I'll show you why in Tara's room," said Willow shaking her head as she tried her best not to let her voice crack, "not here. I have some clothes for you and me… but we can't stay here."

"Will?"

"We have to go, Buff, please," begged Willow as she pushed Buffy back and let the door close behind her while magically removing the shirt, and letting it fall to the floor so that the camera could continue taking video. She didn't know if anyone was spying on them now, and she didn't care. She knew that she needed to show Buffy the signal from the camera in Tara's room so that she didnt think that her best friend was nuts. Unknown to the red headed witch though, the camera had just turned on again once the van reached the Magic Box. With Andrew and Warren looking at the empty room for a little while with Jonathan, the former two then headed out of the van in uniforms stolen from a Sunnydale Power van and entered the Magic Box.

In the meantime, Tara opened her door to see Willow on the verse of tears with Buffy beside her. Surprised at her girlfriend being so upset, Tara was about to ask what happened when Willow walked into Tara's room while Buffy followed closely behind shrugging her shoulders and saying she had no idea what was going on.

"Willow? Sweetie?" asked Tara as Willow took out her laptop, and then placed it on Tara's table without a word. She then opened the top and woke up the screen. Tara and Buffy's mouth's hung open when they watched Buffy and Willow's room with the redhead whispering that the camera wasn't hers. She said that someone left a newspaper hanging on the railing in their floor before telling them what the voice had told her. Willow then said that Barry could very well find some finger prints while she used her skills to find out where the feed was heading.

"Magic skills?" asked Buffy as she took out the phone Barry gave her as the Flash.

"Hacking," said Willow as she started typing, "I promised Tara that…"

"Use magic to find out who did this," said Tara who was giving Willow a stern look. She was angry that someone not only violated Buffy's primacy, but Willow's as well. And she was not going to take it. She told Willow that she would help her to do whatever spell she needed while Buffy called for Barry.

"No need," said Willow as she looked at Tara and then at her computer while placing her hand into the keyboard. Willow used her magic to follow the signals to a bank of computers, and then overloaded the system. She wasn't able to tell who was spying on them but, as she put her hand out of the computer and looked up at Buffy and Tara, she was sure that they wouldn't be looking in on them again.

Back in the van, Warren and Andrew had just gotten back after placing a miniature camera I the Magic Box when Jonathan heard a humming sound from the computers and bank of monitors on the table. Warren and Andrew looked back at Jonathan who was backing away from the bank of computers when there were sparks that erupted followed by smoke which encroached the interior of the van.

"Get out!" cried Jonathan as he opened the side door, and Warren and Andrew rushed out the drivers and passengers side respectively before running away on foot as smoke enveloped the interior of the van and started to pour out.

TBC

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Sunnydale, Unknown Earth, a few minutes ago.**

Barry was conducting an experiment for his chemistry class where the students, including Dawn, were partnered in pairs with one another. He was about to drop a liquid when the phone in his pocket started to buzz silently. He knew that it was the emergency phone he had given Buffy, and guessed that it was important especially since she hardly called him as the Flash. So, to call him now meant that it was extremely urgent and that her life was in danger. So, Barry put the liquid down and took out his phone as the other students looked on, especially Dawn.

She knew about the phone, and that Buffy and the other Scoobies were the only ones with the number. The brunette looked at the expression on Barry's face as he looked at the screen, and then back up at Dawn. He then walked to a corner of the room and brought the phone to his ear, "yeah, Cait. What's up?" Dawn saw Barry nod his head before he took the phone of his ear and turned around. He walked over to his bag, and Dawn could see that Barry was trying to hide the worry on his face before he looked at the phone again and then kept it in his pocket. He told the class exactly how much of the catalysing liquid to pour into the beaker, and then asked them to write a report which Dawn would be collecting.

"My mother's had a heart attack," said Barry as some of the students murmured to each other while Dawn narrowed her eyes at Barry, "so I need to get going to the hospital. Follow the instructions I just gave you, and then once you're done.. write a report. Turn over the report to Dawn, and remember that there's going to be a quiz tomorrow."

The class groaned as Barry looked at Dawn before rushing out of the door. Dawn wanted to follow him out the door, but changed her mind upon hearing the whoosh of him zooming off in the hallway. She then sighed, and started the experiment.

In the meantime, it took Barry a few minutes to run from the school to Tara's room. He soon knocked on the door and stepped in once Tara opened it. He strode over to a freaked-out Willow and Buffy who rushed to him and hugged him tight. Barry wrapped his arms around Buffy and looked on confused at Willow and then at Tara.

"What's going on?" he asked concerned.

"Someone broke into our room," said Buffy as she looked up at Barry while Willow turned the laptop screen towards him. Barry had his arm around Buffy's shoulder while Willow explained the voice that shouted out to her, followed by the newspaper she found on the railing with the I.P address and the note about the camera. Barry was incensed at the thought of someone violating Buffy and Willow's privacy. He held onto Buffy tight while Willow said that she used her magic to disable the camera's feed by sending a magical surge back to the source.

"But I don't know where the source is exactly," said Willow.

"You think you could… you know… go CSI over the whole thing?" asked Buffy looking at Barry.

"They'd have to get into your room somehow to install the camera," said Barry as he looked at the computer, "which means whoever it was that broke in must have a card-key. I mean as long as they had the code for the card, and a machine to imprint that information on the magnetic strip? Then a card could be copied."

"And where can they get a code?" asked Tara.

"The housing office?" said Willow, "maybe the registrar?"

"See if you can crack the security camera feed in the housing office," said Barry at Willow, "maybe they record their feeds?"

"I don't know," said Willow nodding her head, "but I can find out."

"And I'll head to the police station and grab a few things," said Barry as he looked at Buffy, "you still have the newspaper?"

"Willow does," replied Buffy as Willow reached for the paper, but Barry asked her not to touch it again.

"It may have the persons prints," he said as Willow quickly pulled her hand away. Her fingers were almost at the paper before she pulled back, "And the feed's gone?"

"Yeah," said Willow, "I hit their source, so if whoever this was tried to spy on us from other places, then… well… now they won't be able to."

"I wanna check the camera too," said Barry, "and I'll check on some of the other hard surfaces for prints. And I'll need to take yours and Buffy's prints, Willow. Just so that you guys can be eliminated from prints that I do find. But it all depends if whoever did this is in the system."

"We get it," said Buffy.

Barry kissed her and then zoomed out with lightning trailing behind. It would be a few hours later that Barry, when they were at the Summers house, told Buffy and Willow… as well as the others about the break-in. He said that he found an unknown partial print on the camera. He explained the prints were a visual match for prints he found on the redhead's desk. Barry gave them a few more locations before saying that even with all the prints, they needed someone to compare it against.

"So what do we do now?" asked Buffy while Giles was thinking about anything suspicious he could have seen., "I wanna punch something… or someone. And, well…"

"Just be aware of your surroundings, Buffy," said Barry as he nodded at the Slayer, and then back at Willow telling her the same thing, "I've got the camera locked away in my apartment, as well as the fingerprints from the inside of your front door and Willow's desk. I've got the pictures stored in the memory card; and everything's in the police evidence box I 'acquired' from the SPD."

"You mean stole," said Dawn.

"Borrowed," smirked Barry.

"Stole," Dawn arced an eyebrow.

"Borrowed simply means I'm going to return it at a later time, which I will," said Barry as Dawn narrowed her eyes at him. Everyone then looked at Xander who said that Barry was technically right.

"Hey," said Xander waving his hands, "I read."

Barry chuckled before sitting next to Buffy and placing his arm around her shoulders. "So heading out for patrol?"

"Yea," Buffy said as Joyce sent Dawn up to get ready for bed. Dawn grumbled while heading up the stairs. At that same time, Barry and Buffy got up from the couch.

"Well, I gotta do my own patrol," Barry said as he smiled at Buffy, "coming to my place later?"

"I think I'll be staying in your place for a few days until I'm comfortable sleeping in the dorms again and… well….."

"Before you children continue," said Giles dryly as he took off his glasses at the thought of Buffy saying something indecent, "we're right here."

Barry chuckled as Buffy turned to Giles and stuck out her tongue, and then turned towards her mother who said that she was welcome back to her room instead of staying in the dorm room. "Or, you and Willow could move up to the same floor as Tara."

"There's a room on my floor, right across the hall from me that's empty," said Tara as she held onto Willow's hand.

"And you don't want me to move in with you?" asked Willow as Tara looked at her and smiled.

"Well, I would but then Buffy would have to stay by herself and…."

"I can stay by myself too," whined Buffy before she stuck her tongue out at Tara who giggled.

"Buffy can move in with me," said Barry as Buffy looked back at him. Barry then nervously rubbed the back of his head having just remembered that the both of them agreed to take their relationship slow. However, since the question was already out there, he didn't wasn't to take it back. He then put his hands in his pockets and asked her, "I mean, do you want to move in with me?"

"But then I won't have my bestest friend there," whined Willow as Tara giggled.

"And you'll be with Tara for most of the time," said Buffy at Willow before facing Barry and putting her hands in her own pockets. "You really want me to move in with you? Or you just offering because…"

"Move in with me," asked Barry as he looked at Buffy while Anya raised her hand and asked if they were supposed to help Buffy and Willow move out.

"Anya, honey?" said Xander gently, "yeah."

"Fine," sighed Anya while Buffy nodded her head and said yes to moving in with Barry.

"So," aid Tara with an arm across Willow's shoulder, "stay with me, Will?"

"D'uh," said Willow without any hesitation while Barry and Buffy chuckled.

Barry then kissed Buffy before pulling back, telling the young woman that he'll see her later that night. Buffy nodded her head before he turned and sped out of the Summers house. Buffy, a smirk on her face while Xander exclaimed that watching Barry run was simply 'cool', then turned and headed for her weapons chest.

"We have work to do," said Buffy as she took out a stake. She then turned around and stepped to one side while Giles and the others picked up their own weapons while Joyce hugged Buffy, and whispered into her ear.

"My little Buffy's all grown up," Joyce said as Buffy returned her hug, and once they parted the both of them giggled while Buffy said that she couldn't believe she said 'yes'.

"This is an important step, Buffy," said Giles as he picked up a crossbow.

"Oh, I'm doing it," said Buffy looking at Giles while holding onto her mother, "it's just that this is the first time I've taken it this far with someone."

"You mean someone breathing," Xander pointed out. And it wasn't long before Willow nudged her oldest friend, pointing out that they agreed not to talk about 'you-know-who'.

"Guys," chuckled Buffy while Barry was stopping a mugging in Santa Barbara, "Angel was, and will be, someone I love. And Barry knows that. And I know there will be a spot in his heart for Iris. But for right here and now? It's gonna be me and him. Heck, I didn't even go this far with Riley. But me and Barry have been… I mean it's been us for more than a year and… and I'm taking this step that I'm totally okay with and…"

"Buff," said Willow as she looked at the strange thoughtful expression on Buffy' face, "you wanna back out?"

"No," Buffy said while shaking her head, "I… I mean…"

"Oh, hey," said Barry as he zoomed in again wearing his uniform, and closed the door behind him, much to the surprise of Buffy and the others. He reached inside one of the suits' pockets and took out a key, and reached out with it to Buffy, "I forgot I needed to get you a key. So, I kinda found a place open in L.A where I copied this key for you. It's a spare to m.. to our apartment."

Buffy reached for, and took the key in her hand. She then placed in in her pocket before looking over her shoulders and asking if they could be alone for a few seconds. Barry looked on confused as Giles said that he had a sudden hunger for desert. And he was followed by Joyce and then the others while walking towards the kitchen. Buffy chuckled at hearing Anya say that she wanted to overhear everything, and yelped when Willow pulled her away while Tara patted Buffy's back and smiled at Barry.

Once everyone was in the kitchen, Buffy took a step towards Barry and held his hands while looking into his eyes.

"Listen to me very carefully," Buffy said as Barry released Buffy's left hand and took off his cowl before holding it again, "every guy I've said this to either walked away from my life; died, came back to life, and then walked away; or just got into a chopper and I never saw him again."

"I get Angel and Riley, who's the first one?" asked Barry.

"My dad," said Buffy shaking her head, "anyway, I don't know what's gonna happen after this… I mean after I tell you what I wanna tell you, and…"

"You don't want to move in?" asked Barry confused.

"I do," re-assured Buffy as she placed Barry's hands around her waist and the young man took a step forward. "Barry, I don't know if you're going to leave today… or tomorrow, or a year from now. That's gonna be in the back of my mind."

"Buffy," said Barry as he placed his gloved hand on her cheek, "I told you I don't want to stay still while waiting for Cisco. I need to move on with my life… and I have you, your mom, Dawn, Tara, Willow, and the others. I'm gonna be staying here, Buffy. I'm guessing that Cisco's already got Jay helping out to keep the peace in Central City, and I'm sure Oliver and his team are helping out too. So, you know what? I don't think they'll need me after more than two years. I'm here for the long haul."

Buffy looked into his eyes, and knew that he was telling the truth. But what she wanted to say still made her heart race.

"I love you," Buffy said while Barry looked on confused. And when Buffy got worried when he didn't answer, Barry said that he wasn't sure what she meant by her father leaving because she had said the same thing to him. "I said I loved him every day, and he still left me."

"I'm not leaving you," Barry said before kissing her. He then pulled back knowing full well what he was about to say would mean to Buffy. Barry didn't want to hurt her at all; to him, she was the strongest person he had even known. She was smart, even though she pretended to be the 'dumb blonde', and she was everything he wanted in a partner. Barry knew in his heart that Iris moved on, as did Cisco and the others… and that knowledge made it easier to kiss Buffy again before pulling back and saying, "I love you, Buffy."

The Slayer smiled before kissing each other once again before parting. Barry said he needed to get back to work while Buffy said she needed to start her own work.

"Muffins?" asked Barry.

"Muffin's," Buffy replied before Barry kissed her again, and then zoomed out of the house and towards L.A. IN the meantime, a cheesy smile remained on Buffy's face, which went away once Anya asked if he was gone. "We got work to do, and then…. then I'm going home."

In the meantime, the Trio; Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew were in Andrews basement. The three of them were fuming at the failure of their first 'venture' together. In truth, only Jonathan pretended to be angry ever since coming back from the smoking van. Warren immediately hacked the Sunnydale DMV, and changed the name and address associated with the van so that the police wouldn't be able to find out it was them.

The three of them then stayed hidden the entire night in the event that Buffy found out their identities somehow. All the while they were arguing about how the Slayer may have found out about the camera in the room. They discussed every scenario, except for Jonathan betraying them; and her released a mental sigh of relief.

"You said you had a few tests?" asked Jonathan after they were discussing what went wrong until it was night, and the full moon was out.

"Oh yes," said Andrew while Warren kept his hand in his pocket as he felt the undergarment he stole from Buffy. Warren then said that it would take time to gather everything they needed.

"It would be like a competition," said Warren, "and at the same time; I'm going to find something that will give us control of the Slayer herself. Can you imagine? A Slayer on our side to rob banks? We'll be rich, and with those riches we can control the demon underground."

"We'll be real super-villains," said Andrew.

"Real supervillains," said Jonathan as he nodded excitedly at Warren while hoping that he didn't have any other dangerous plans in his head.

**Central City, two days after Wally ran into STAR Labs.**

Wally had just finished having lunch with a young woman and was rushing towards his car. The young man was looking forward to being the holographic version of the Flash. He knew that he wasn't the real thing, and was actually jealous that Jessie received Speedster powers earlier than he did despite being caught in the same dark matter explosion. However, he was still happy for her, and it gave him confidence in being able to help out as the latest version of the Flash. Even with the presence of Thea as the Red Arrow who had been helping him in his physical fitness, and with Caitlin's developing powers, he was still fine. Wally walked over to his car in the parking lot just as he heard the sound of screeching tyres in the distance. He looked around and found nothing of concern.

Shrugging his shoulders, Wally closed the driver side door and then turned the engine to his car. The young man then pulled out of the parking spot and headed down the road to the main street where cars were parked along the side of the road. He stopped his car ay the 'stop' sigh leading to the man road, and then turned on the radio before checking to see if it was safe to move. Determining that everything seemed to be alright, then Wally received a call on his cell phone, and he looked away for what seemed like a second and smiled at the Caller ID. It was a girl he had met last night who gave him her number. They had lunch only a few minutes ago, and she was calling him now.

Thinking it better to let the phone go to voicemail, Wally looked up at the windscreen and made the turn. Just as the driver side of the car entered the main street, Wally heard a loud honk. He looked to his left and his eyes opened wide at the accelerating car careening towards him. He felt himself get knocked back hard to the passenger side, the seat belt tearing, as the window and the door frame bent inwards. Wally saw everything in slow motion as electricity seemed to course through his body's cells. The young man was more surprised than shocked as he watched his hands while his body was flailing in slow motion. He saw lightning, yellow coloured lightning, crackling all over his arm before feeling a painful stinging sensation on his side. Wally looked down and saw a jagged piece of glass had pierced him. He released a scream of pain before he instinctively turned in mid-air and opened the passenger door with a pained expression on his face.

Using his momentum from the initial hit, Wally flew out the door at what seemed to anyone else, as a blur. He rolled on the ground before getting up and then running to the other car at super-speed. He took out the driver, who he swore stunk of alcohol, and brought him on the hospital while the damage to both of the cars rendered them undrivable. As Wally ran down a side road, the two cars stopped moving, with smoke billowing out as people started to run down to check on the commotion.

Slightly panicking after dropping off the man at the Emergency Room, Wally ran at super-speed towards STAR Labs, and then entered the Cortex before promptly fainting. His last thoughts were seeing Caitlin running towards him, followed by Dr. McGee, and his father yelling for his name.

At least that's what he remembered as he groaned while slowly moving his head from one side to the other while lying down on a soft cushioned surface. Figuring that he was lying on one of the beds, Wally heard the sounds of beeps from his left, and as he opened his eyes, the young man saw a fuzzy image. It soon cleared up a few seconds later, and he saw numbers on a machine that was taking his blood pressure before closing his eyes again. He was groaning from the dull ache on his side. Wally placed his hand on the side and felt the bandage before turning his head to look at the sleeping form of Iris on the chair with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Iris?" he groaned before looking up at the ceiling. Wally then looked at Iris once again as she stirred before opening her eyes. Once she saw that Wally had a small smile on his face, she quickly go up off the seat and rushed to her brother.

"Hey," she said placing a hand on his forehead while pressing a button on the wall calling for Caitlin and Dr. McGee. Iris then turned back to her brother and smiled before saying that his car was wrecked, and that he was extremely lucky. "Especially since you apparently don't need a car anymore."

"I'll need one if I'm going on a date," he whispered before giving a small smile, "what… what happened?"

"You ran all the way here," said Iris, "even managed to save the guy who hit you."

"How… how long was I out?"

"Two days," Iris said just as she heard hurried footsteps coming down the hallway. Soon, the footsteps got closer and closer until it was Cisco, Caitlin, and then Dr. McGee who rushed into the room.

"Sweet, man," said Cisco patting Wally on the shoulder, "welcome to the Flash club."

"Flash club?" asked Caitlin while she measured Wallis vitals while Dr. McGee asked Wally to follow the light being shone into his eyes, "don't call it that. Sounds like guys to go to the park and.. well… flash."

"Ok, bad idea," said Cisco while Iris chuckled.

"Dad?" asked Wally as Cisco snapped his fingers and then rushed out while yelling that he was going to call him. Iris then took over from Cisco and told Wally that Joe was called in for a triple homicide that could have been committed by a meta-human.

"Thea's with him," said Iris, "and Oliver's here to finally check-in with Laurel."

"Sweet," whispered Wally, "my powers?"

"I believe that the adrelenin which flooded your body once you were hit somehow jumpstarted your speed powers, Mr. West," said Dr. McGee as she looked at him with her hands in her pockets, "if you weren't hit by the dark matter energy wave, then you could have most likely died."

"And your wound is gone," said Caitlin as she took off the bandage. Iris and Dr. McGee gave a cursory look before nodding their heads impressed.

"But I still feel the pain," said Wally, "did Barry feel anything like this?"

"Your powers just activated, Wally," said Caitlin, "it's going to take a few days for your body to get used to what it could do. I doubt you'll feel anything like these shadow pains again. For today though, take it easy."

"Joe and Thea are on the way," said Cisco as he walked in while snapping his fingers and then pointing at Wally, "I know… you're going to be Kid Flash."

"No way am I being Kid…"

"You're Kid Flash," quipped Iris looking directly at Wally.

"But…."

"Kid…. Flash," said Iris slowly.

"Fine." Wally sighed before looking at Dr. McGee who said that they needed to run some tests on Wally. Wally nodded his head saying that he was up to it, which led Cisco to say that the treadmill was already prepared for Wally.

"Let's do this," he said.

**The Pipeline, at that same time.**

With Cisco and the others having to go after receiving a call from the Cortex, Oliver looked at the shut door in front of him leading to the Pipeline Prison, and sighed. He walked over to a panel and pressed some buttons before stepping back as the door rose to reveal Laurel in her cell. The both of them looked at each other, Oliver still being unable to not see the Laurel he once knew in this alternate version of her. The very same version he hadn't talked to for several weeks even though he wanted to.. even though every part of him was screaming at him to go over to STAR Labs and see her.

But he didn't.

Instead, it was Quintin who came by to see her every week. He was the one who chipped away at the rock that used to surround this Laurel surrounded herself in, until she finally talked to her father. They had several heart to heart talks, including the first few instances where she would simply scream at Quentin. Eventually she would tell him about what her own father had done, about how ruthlessly he chased her until she had no choice but to kill him with her sonic scream.

Oliver wasn't there when Laurel made that revelation, but Quintin told him how she broke down after she screamed at him that he would be next. That she would kill her father's alternate self as well.

"Ollie," said Laurel as she stared at Oliver who walked onto the platform.

"Laurel," nodded Oliver as she leaned against the wall, "Quintin said you wanted to see me". Oliver recalled what happened before he made his decision to finally visit Laurel. It was following Quintin's visit to the current Black Siren two days ago when her cell door was opened and the Captain walked into the cell while continuing to look into his daughter's eyes. The door to the pipeline closed behind them while Thea had an arrow primed to shoot past Quintin's shoulder and into Laurel's forehead.

Back in the present day, Oliver glanced at the power dampening bracelets around her wrists, the very same bracelets that Caitlin was using, and looked back up at her as the cell door started to slowly open. With the door out of the Pipeline locked, Oliver knew that Laurel wouldn't be able to escape.. and with the loss of her powers, it placed them on an equal playing field in terms of physical prowess.

Laurel stepped out of her cell and onto the platform while Oliver just stood still as he gauged the young woman in front of him. Just as he would any would-be opponent.

"When I saw you die…" said Laurel as she stood just outside the cell staring at Oliver, "I mean when I saw the news that you died on my Earth… you… you have no idea how it felt to…"

"I died here too," said Oliver.

"I know," answered Laurel, "for five years. But the Oliver I knew really died. And he died with my sister on board the Queen's Gambit. And that broke me, Ollie."

"It was the same between me and Sara too," admitted Oliver as Laurel looked away while crossing her arms around her chest, "except we're alive, and my dad was the one who died."

"I met your father again when I was Black Siren," said Laurel as she looked at the floor of the particle accelerator, "it was after I joined up with Zoom. Seeing the surprise on his face was actually funny. The first time we faced each other, I told him to put his bow and arrow away… and I won't kill him."

"Did he?" asked Oliver as he imagined his father aiming a bow and arrow.

"He fired two arrows at me," Laurel chuckled. I remember ducking and rolling before screaming at him. I pushed him back but… I couldn't kill him."

"Why?" asked Oliver.

"Because.. despite my hate for you… despite you cheating on me… a part of me still loved you," said Laurel looking at Oliver, "a part of me will always love you. And your family was always good to me… so I let your father live. And I ran away. Then I learn about this new Earth from Zoom, one where you're alive and I just died. You watched her die.. and I…"

"I tried to stop my Laurel from picking up the Canary name," said Oliver taking a step forward, "I wanted her to stop once I found out what she was doing. But she didn't want to stop… the good in her wanted to protect the innocent. Just as the good in you stopped yourself from killing my father. Quintin said you wanted to talk to me, and…"

"I did," said Laurel, "I'm not going to make any excuses about why I did what I did… I'm not going to say that Zoom forced me to do all those things. All I'm going to say is that if Quentin… if… if the father that your Laurel Lance had is any different that the father I knew… then maybe it's time I tried to find myself again."

"Meaning?" asked Oliver confused about what she was talking about.

"I guess dad didn't clue you in," said Laurel, "guess he thought that you'd say 'no'. Which is why I wanted to talk to you in person. I'm tired of being in the cell. So Dad, and the white-hats here, and Thea suggested a tracker at the base of my neck so that I could be on a 'work-release' program."

"Yea, you're right," said Oliver while thinking to himself that he needed to have a word with Quintin and Thea, "I'd have said no."

"I won't be allowed to leave Central City," said Laurel, "and the tracker will be placed close to my spine so if I try tearing it out, then I'll be paralysed. And these dampeners prevent me from using my powers."

"No."

"They won't be affected by my scream," said Laurel as she held up her bracelets on her wrists while taking a few more steps towards Oliver, "and if I do use my scream on the bracelets, the tracker would release an electric charge into my nervous system, and I'll be knocked unconscious. Plus, these particular ones are remotely activated… and the white-hats here are the only ones with access."

"It's still dangerous," said Oliver as he reached for, and placed her hands in his. He looked at the bracelets, and then then looked up at Laurel's face. He looked for indications that she was being deceptive, and found nothing. He noticed that her arms were tensed, and could tell it meant that she was holding herself back from attacking him. "Laurel…"

"Thea already volunteered to shadow me," said Laurel as Oliver frowned, "there's every safeguard in place in case I simply up and leave. But I won't."

"Fine," said Oliver as he looked at her face. He wanted to place his hand on her cheek, and then lean in and kiss her. But he knew that this was the very same Laurel who brought down three buildings with her scream… murdering people in the process. Oliver fought his instinct to kiss her, and to distrust her, by saying that she was to stay by Thea's side at all times.

"I'll show you," said Laurel gently, "I'll show all of you that I can redeem myself."

TBC.

 


	17. Chapter 17

**Barry's Apartment, 0200 hours.**

Buffy had just finished patrolling with the other Scoobies before walking down the hallway while reaching into her pockets and feeling for the key. Once she gripped it, Buffy opened the door to her apartment, and walked into the darkened living room. Closing the door behind her, Buffy took a few steps forward into the room while her eyes adjusted to the darkness that surrounded her. Heading to the small dining table where there was a packet of mini-muffins that made a smile appear on her face, Buffy placed the key on the hard surface before taking off her black jacket. She winced from a formerly dull ache, that flared up once again, when she took off her jacket and set it on the seat back a chair. She then placed a stake on the table while remembering that it was only minutes ago that a demon threw her through a headstone.

While the demon was killed, her shoulder throbbed in pain as she headed for the fridge. She opened the freezer and looked around for something frozen to place on the throbbing shoulder, and her upper back. Finding some frozen peas, he took that out and sighed in relief as she placed them on her back. It was just then that the hall lights to her room turned on. Buffy smiled at Barry who was shuffling out of the room they shared while yawning and rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Buffy?" Barry asked before he shuffled over to the blonde Slayer who sat down on a chair while pressing the bag of frozen peas on her back. "Bad day at work?"

"Two nests of vampires, then there were four demons," said Buffy as Barry took over holding the bag on her shoulder, "so yeah, a night as usual, Barry. And yours?"

"A robbery here," said Barry before telling Buffy about his other exploits that night. "You know you could have called me, right?"

"I know," Whispered Buffy as she looked up at Barry, "but then again, it would take all the fun out of Slaying."

Barry chuckled before saying if she wanted to have something to eat.

"I just want to sleep," said an exhausted Buffy as she slowly stood up before telling Barry that her shoulder was feeling a bit better. Barry smiled before placing the packet of peas in the table, and then placing an arm around her shoulders before heading into their room. Buffy then freshened up and changed out of her clothes before joining Barry in bed.

"Our apartment, huh," said Buffy as she lay on her side and faced Barry.

"Our apartment," Barry said as Buffy shuffled closer to the young man who then lay an arm over her waist, "you and me."

"I like how that sounds," she whispered before saying that she was struggling to keep her eyes open. "The whole adrenaline thing is wearing off."

Buffy pulled her closer and kissed her on the lips. He then pulled back as Buffy closed her eyes and went off to sleep. Barry, for his part, looked down at her face and then dragged his fingertips on the back of her tank top, and then her bare back, to the back of her neck, and then ran his hand through her hair. He then brushed some hair off her forehead and smiled at her before kissing her forehead.

He then lay his head on the pillow and mumbled softly, "I love you." Barry spotted the small smile forming Buffy's face as she shimmied closer before he closed his eyes as well.

**U.C. Sunnydale, Stevenson Hall, Willow and Buffy's Room; three weeks later.**

It had taken three weeks, but it was finally time for Willow to move out after the Housing Office approved the change. And it was in their former room that Buffy and Willow, together with Barry, Xander, Anya, and Dawn helped the former roommates pack up their respective belongings. While Buffy, Xander and Anya helped move Willow's things to her new shared room with Tara. Dawn and Barry were packing the last of Buffy's things when the group came back and said that Willow was officially moved.

"Yes, I am," chuckled Willow as she held onto Tara before sitting on the bare bed across from Buffy's side of the room. "Done?"

"And we're done," said Barry as he closed the top of the final box. It was then that Barry, Xander, Buffy, and Anya who was carrying the smallest box available while the others chuckled, headed for Xander's car. Once they packed the boxes into the car, Barry, Anya, and Xander drove off to the former's apartment while Buffy and Willow finished cleaning up the room with the help of Dawn and Tara. Back in the room, Willow and Buffy looked around at the trash that still had to be thrown out. The redhead sighed before Tara said that they could probably borrow some vacuum cleaners and supplies from the maintenance closet down the hall. While Tara and Buffy left to get some supplies, Willow looked at the mess around them with Dawn sighing at having to pick up the remaining trash.

"Well," said Willow with a smile on her face, "if Barry where here, he'd use his speed to clean this up."

"Well, yeah," said Dawn as she winched at the sight of the trash around the room.

"What would happen if I shift all this trash to another dimension?" asked Willow thoughtfully.

"You'll be…"

"Yeah, I'll do it," said Willow interrupting Dawn as she waved her arms, and the air around the trash shimmered before they vanished into thin air. In reality though, the trash that vanished from Willow and Buffy's room reappeared into the same dimension that the redhead and Anya had sent Olaf the troll. Back in the Prime reality, Willow then looked at a grinning Dawn who arched her eyebrows up at Willow. Just then Buffy and Tara arrived with supplies; the Slayer carrying a vacuum cleaner, and Tara a box of cleaning supplies. They were surprised at the cleanliness of the room when the floor was just covered in trash a few seconds.

"Will?" asked Tara looking at the redhead while holding a case of cleaning supplies.

"It's just an easy thing, guys," said Willow waving her hands as she looked at her girlfriend's frown. She knew that the blonde witch didn't like to have magic used for doing simple tasks that could be done normally. Willow made a mental note to add the fact that Barry uses his super-speed for simple tasks most of the time if Tara had anything to say later that night. In fact, the way she felt Tara was judging her, Willow felt it better to just say what she wanted to say right now. "Come on, if Barry gets to use his powers for simple stuff… and I've seen him use it for simple stuff, then I can too. And besides, it's not like I'm using magic every day."

"Wi…."

"Buffy," said Willow as she looked at her friend expectantly, "Barry uses his powers for normal house work too, right?"

"Oh, no." said Buffy shaking her head, "don't bring me into this."

"But he does use his powers for simple things right?" asked Willow as she stared at Buffy.

"Tara, the room was trashed.. literally," said Dawn waving her arms and interrupting everyone, "and hey, we don't have to do any work. So yaay!"

"We'll place these things back in the closet then," said Buffy with a sigh before she and a frowning Tara headed back out into the hallway while Willow and Dawn high fived each other. It was a few minutes later that Barry returned with Xander and Anya. The group looked at the dorm room, with Barry exclaiming that it looked much cleaner than before he left with Xander and Anya. Willow said she followed his example and used magic to make life a little bit easier.

"Neat," said Barry while Dawn said that they didn't have to touch anything 'icky'. Buffy and Tara then returned to the room, and looked in for one last time before heading out. They were due to go pick up Giles, and then get some grocery shopping done before heading off to the Summers home where they would be meeting with Giles for dinner.

Willow loked at the frown in Tara's face as they held hands together before whispering that she just wanted to get things done fast so that they could move on. Tara then sighed, before nodding her head. The redhead then smiled before the group walked down the stairs.

As the group walked down to the lobby, and then headed out the door, there was a figure in a hooded sweatshirt which covered his face walking towards them. He walked past Buffy and Barry, who were arm in arm while walking behind Willow and Tara, and bumped accidentally into Buffy.

"Sorry," he said as Buffy and Barry turned to look at him just as he turned away after waving them off and rushed up the stairs. Buffy watched the figure go up the stairs before turning to a shrugging Barry; they both then walked off. Buffy, however, didn't feel it when the figure attached a device the size of a pin-head, on her shirt. In addition, the figure also pulled a piece of hair from the back of Buffy's head which he deftly put into his sweatshirt's pocket.

Once the figure was on the first floor, he rushed to the end of the hallway and left through the stairwell back down to the rear of the dorm building. He then opened the rear exit door while pulling back the hood to reveal himself as Warren. He then rushed towards a grey coloured sedan parked at the edge of the parking lot. There was what seemed to be a small radar dish that was attached to the roof of the car, with wires that were attached to a laptop wirelessly connected to the device on the Slayer's shirt.

"Ready?" asked Jonathan as he watched Warren enter the driver's seat while Andrew sat on the passenger's seat.

"Yeah," Warren said as he fished out the yellow hair from his pocket and handed it to Andrew, "you know what to do."

"Oh yea," said Andrew as he placed the hair into a metallic spherical container, "I just need one more ingredient, and then we can use the spell tonight."

"How long will it last?" asked Jonathan as he recalled the discussion they had earlier that day in regards to what they had in plan for Buffy. "Because, just so you know, we need to be there a few hours after the bank closes. There will be no cars or people on the streets, and we can use the time to set a trap for the Streak so that he won't interfere in our plans. And also, we need enough time to brief her on the bank's floor plan, before that she has to break into the back, take the money, and then come back. And of course, Andrew and I have our own things to do while Warren finds out the Streak's identity so that he'll be under our control. So do we have enough time for all of that?"

"The time limit with one piece of her hair would be four hours," said Andrew shrugging his shoulders.

"We'll have all the money we want," said Jonathan with a smirk as he wondered what he would do after breaking into, and robbing, one of the three banks in Sunnydale. And then there was one thing he was thinking about that worried him, "will Buffy remember any of this?"

"She'll be out of it," said Andrew. "It'll be like a dream for her. After she's done, she can go home where she'll sleep and think she was having a dream. In the meantime, the device will recharge. Then the next day we can use her again."

"She'll make us rich," said a chuckling Warren as he looked back at Jonathan, "and she'll be our… well, lets just say I bought a French maid uniform for her- all for just this one moment. She'll do anything we ask. And of course, we'll be lording over the Streak's identity."

"But no killing," said Jonathan. "We'll need the Streak as an insurance policy when we control Sunnydale."

"Of course," Warren said flippantly, but he knew that there was another plan for the Streak. One that he was keeping to himself.

"Cool," said Andrew as he looked at the spherical device in his hand while Jonathan looked down at his laptop. He was fine with simply having Buffy fawn over the three of them – after what he had seen Warren do in Buffy's old room three weeks ago, Jonathan made a mental note to be more vocal in preventing Warren from doing anything untoward to Buffy. Shaking his head, the young man looked back down at the laptop, and then back up at Warren before asking if he was ready for his part in the contest between the three of them.

"Do it," smirked Warren.

Buffy was walking arm in with Barry when the both of them heard a buzzing sound around them. And then suddenly the world sped up. Confused, Barry used his speed to avoid the blur of people that were about to hit him and the equally confused Buffy. With everything moving slower for him, but not as slow as it should be when using his speed, Barry managed to not hit any of the blurry figures around them as he headed for one of the tables in the quad. He and Buffy hid under the table so that they could figure out what was going on, just as everything around them returned to normal.

"Okay, what was that?" asked Buffy while a confused Barry looked at his girlfriend. In the meantime, Jonathan was watching everything through a micro-camera located in the device, and wondered if it had malfunctioned since the picture was fritzing uncontrollably for a few seconds. In addition to the video, the readings being sent back on her heart rate, breathing, and other vitals were odd. He expected that she would be extremely worried, that her timing in avoiding the sped-up figures would be off… however nothing like that happened. He then turned off the device to run diagnostics to ensure that it wasn't malfunctioning before starting it again.

"Anything?" asked Warren as he looked back from the front seat.

"I'm trying it again," said Jonathan while running a diagnostic. "Give me a minute."

"Quick," Andrew said.

Back in the quad, Barry and Buffy got out from under the table and stood up. They looked around for Dawn and the others, but they were already quite a distance away. The two of them then looked at each other before he spoke, "I heard the buzzing coming from you."

"I heard it too, but I didn't know if it was from me," said Buffy as she spread her arms up to her sides while Barry was patting her down while smirking at Barry. His hands went up both sides of her hips, and then under her arms. His hands then brushed her bare arms before feeling the sleeves of her shirt. It was then that Barry feel something small on her upper arm's sleeve. Buffy put her arms down and looked on as Barry took off a small device, and held it between his fingers.

Back in the car a panicked Jonathan exclaimed that Buffy and her friend had found the device.

"How?" asked Warren and Andrew.

"I don't know," yelled a panicked Jonathan, "I'm activating the self-destruct."

"Do it!" yelled Warren just before Jonathan pressed a button.

Back in the quad, Barry and Buffy heard a 'pop' just as the device vanished in a puff of smoke.

"That's new," said Buffy confused as she looked back up at Barry.

"Yea," said Barry as he looked around, and then at Buffy before asking if she had any idea what happened.

"None," said Buffy before telling the speedster that perhaps it would be better if they talked to Giles about what happened. Barry nodded his head before the both of them ran towards Dawn and the others who just noticed that Barry and Buffy were missing. While the couple was heading for their friends, Buffy turned to Barry and pouted before saying, "you know, you use your speed too much for normal everyday stuff. Makes me feel not very Slayery."

Barry chuckled as they walked on before saying that he'll try slowing down, before wondering aloud about the buzzing sound and the 'popping' device.

In the meantime, Jonathan and the others were livid at the failure of the initial test. They wanted to continue with the other two tests, but Andrew said it was better to postpone that until the next day; they still had to finish their plans for tonight.

And that included the final part of a spell to have Buffy under their control.

**The Summers Residence, 2100 hours.**

The gang had met at the Summers home later that night since Joyce was going to cook a special meal for both Willow and Tara, and for Buffy and Barry. It was a celebration of the fact that the two couples were moving in to their own places. Buffy and Barry had already talked to Giles, Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya about what happened but no one had a clue why the device was placed on Buffy. They had no idea why Barry was affected as well, and most importantly, they didn't know the reason for why time was accelerated from Buffy and Barry's perspective.

With more questions in their heads than answers, especially after discovering from their wristwatches that over five minutes had passed by in a space of what seemed like a few seconds, Buffy was sitting on Barry's lap while trying to get everything that happened earlier in the day.

While the Scoobies were chatting and joking; Joyce, Dawn, and Giles were getting the food ready.

**Sunnydale Central Bank, at that same time.**

With the street in front of the bank quiet since there were no pedestrians, and only a few cars on the road having passed by, Warren and the other members of the so-called Trio stepped out of their car. Andrew had a packet of red powder in his hand specifically created to handle the Streak if he interfered in their plans, while Warren fished the silver spherical object from his pocket. The group walked to the trunk of the car and asked each other if they were ready.

Warren nodded his head before holding out the silver object in the palm of his hand. The young man then mumbled a spell that invoked ancient spirits to possess Buffy and place her under his control. Back in the Summers house, Buffy was laughing at something that Xander said while Barry was gently rubbing her back. Suddenly Buffy stopped laughing as a cool chill went up her spine and she turned her head to gaze at her boyfriend. To the Slayer, it felt as if she was suddenly trapped in her own body which moved without her permission.

Buffy was 'telling' Barry that something was wrong, but she didn't feel her lips move. Instead, she felt herself leaning into Barry. Buffy felt her mind being invaded by a darkness as she screamed for Barry to listen to her. However, once again, her lips weren't moving as she moved her hand to Barry;s throat while placing her head on his shoulder. Buffy insctinctively knew what was about to happen as Barry was rubbing the back of her head whle laughing at Anya making an innocent joke. Buffy felt the darkness move her body as a chill went up her spine again. She felt something evil. She heard Tara stopped laughing, and then Buffy glanced at the witch who looked right at her with a stunned look on her face. Buffy knew that whatever invaded her mind was figuring out who among her friends posed the greatest risk. Smiling at Tara just as she opened her mouth, Buffy… or at least the entity controlling Buffy, wrapped her hand into a fist and the struck the unsuspecting Barry's throat while Tara yelled, "that's not Buffy!"

"Barry!" yelled Xander as he got up while Buffy jumped off the speedster as he grabbed his throat and looked at his girlfriend in shock. He then saw her turn and grab Xander. Before the young man could say anything, he was swung around and then thrown into Anya who then screamed as she struck her back on the wall behind her. Buffy then turned to the still stunned Barry who was trying to breathe.

"Barry!" yelled Buffy as she felt her body turn, jump, and then twist in the air before she slammed her foot into the side of Barry's face. Buffy knew that his reaction time would be slower when it came to her and watched as he was thrown onto the carpet where he lay unconscious.

Buffy could hear her heart beat racing as she tried to stop the thoughts she knew was going through her mind from being acted out.

"No!" screamed Buffy as she then turned and leapt at a stunned Tara after knocking Barry unconscious. She punched the witch in the face before swinging a back-fist to the side of Willow's head causing her to tumble down from the couch to the carpet. With the two witch's unconscious, the commotion was heard by Giles, Joyce, and Dawn who called out for her sister after rushing into the living room from the kitchen.

However, 'Buffy' knew that they were no threat. And so, Buffy's possessed body rushed out of the door while Joyce and Dawn rushed to help Tara, Xander, Anya, and Willow while Giles went to help Barry. While Joyce and the others were trying to wake them up, Buffy was running at full speed. Tears were going down her face as she continued on while mentally screaming for her body to stop running.

She was screaming out while she felt her body being called somewhere.

"Barry! Willow! Tara!" yelled Buffy, even though she knew her physical lips were not moving. "Barry!"

It would be twenty minutes later that Buffy reach the Trio's car, and she looked at the three people who called for her. She saw Warren walking close to her before wiping the stains on her face caused by the falling tears. Buffy felt sick as she felt Warren brush his fingers on her cheeks before his hands went down to her neck while staring into her eyes like a predator about to attack a prey. Buffy tried to move her arms, but she couldn't as his hand travelled down her collarbone, then to her shoulders and down her arms. A hand then around her to the small of her back, before lowering down a few inches while his other hand went back up to the side of her face to caress her cheek.

"After this, I have a French maids outfit at our lair," Warren whispered after leaning into her ear, "I'll send Johnathan and Andrew away, and we'll have fun before the spell deactivates itself. I can't wait to see you in the thong I took from your room."

"Oh my God," said Buffy while she pushed her body to move and fight. She wanted Warren to pay for this gross violation.

But all Buffy's body could do was stare at Warren as he pulled away form her with a smile on his lips. He then turned to Andrew and Johnathan, "show her what she needs to do, and then she'll go home with us." Warren then looked at Andrew and told him to 'set the trap for the Streak'. Buffy heard what Warren said, but she couldn't move her head as Warren looked back at her with a smile on his face. Unknown to Buffy, Andrew opened the bag contained the red coloured powder and drew a line several feet away from the car. The line ran across from one side of the street to the opposite side before Andrew rushed past the other members of the Trio to a few feet from the front of the car. And he repeated the same line from the two sidewalks. With the two lines drawn on the straight road, Jonathan handed Buffy a pair of gloves, and a balaclava before asking her to put them on.

"Don't do this Jonathan!" yelled Buffy as her body simply moved on its own. She put on the gloves, and the Balaclava that covered her whole head- just showed off her eyes. Andrew then showed her a floor plan of the bank, including how to get access to the vault and the door to the security room. While Warren pulled four duffel bags out of the trunk as Andrew and Jonathan was briefing Buffy; back in the Summers house, Barry was coming to after getting a slap from Dawn, who was also screaming his name.

"Buffy?" he groaned after opening his eyes to find a red eyed Dawn looking back at him. He heard worried voices from Joyce and the others while the side of his face, and throat, stung. Barry blinked his eyes to clear the flashes of light he was seeing thanks to the after-effects of the kick by Buffy, and then tried to get off the carpet and to his feet. Giles and Xander helped him up while he glanced over at a dazed Tara and Willow- both of whom had bruises developing on the face.

"Where's Buffy?" asked Barry as he looked at a worried Joyce and Giles, while Xander walked back to the groaning Anya who was sitting on the couch.

"She just left after going nuts," exclaimed Anya while she was pressing a frozen bag of peas on her shoulder, a bag which she then shared with Willow as she placed it on the side of her face.

"I.. I saw something strange with her aura," groaned Tara while she flinched at the icepack that Joyce placed on her cheek, "she… oh I think I'm going to be sick." Tara then leaned back on the couch while Joyce gently told the young woman that everything was going to be just fine.

"I need to go out there," groaned Barry who felt like throwing up.

"We don't know where she is," said Xander as he looked up at Barry from the couch.

"It's not Buffy," Dawn exclaimed as she rushed to stand in front of Barry, "it's not Buffy. She wouldn't do this."

"I think something possessed her," groaned Tara as she put a hand on her own forehead to try and stop the room from spinning, "but she can really hit hard."

"I'll run through the city," said Barry shaking his head, "I'll be back."

"I'll try a location spell for her," said Willow as nodded her head before she looked at Tara who was panting while nodding her head.

"I'm not going to argue with you on that," Tara groaned, "a possessed Slayer? Not good."

"No," said Giles as he helped Willow stand up. "I'll help you, Willow. And Barry?"

"I'm gone."

Barry then zoomed off out the door. He ran to the apartment he shared with Buffy before changing into his uniform and then began a systematic search of the city.

Back at the bank, Buffy had already gone through the plans of the bank before she started to walk towards the entrance. She was doing everything she could to stop, but her body simply did not want to listen. Once she nearly placed her hand on the door handle, Buffy heard the rumbling of thunder in the distance.

"Stop," commanded Warren at Buffy. She stopped, and then pulled her arm back before turning to look at Warren who was motioning for her to walk to his side. Buffy's body moved involuntarily and stood next to him and the others just as a red streak with yellow lightning rushed towards them from one end of the street.

"Come on, come on," whispered Warren with a smile on his face.

As Barry rushed towards the group after having gone through a third of the city after three minutes of running through every house, and seeing things that he never wanted to see, Barry came up upon the four of them by accident. Thinking that it looked suspicious to have a car in an empty street parked in front of a bank with four people standing around, Barry knew he had to intervene before continuing the search for his girlfriend. However, the closer he got to them, the more he recognized the shirt that the figure in gloves and balaclava was wearing.

It was Buffy.

He wanted to grab her and take her away so that Tara and Willow could help her. But, just as he passed the red power line on the surface of the street, Barry felt a jarring sensation as he stopped running. He stumbled to the ground at Buffy's feet before he felt himself stumbling backwards while getting pulled back to the red line which was now glowing. Once he was on that line, Barry tried to run at Buffy and the three young men again… but he noticed lines of red coloured energy that was holding him still when he tried to move.

"How does it feel, Streak?" asked Warren while he took a few steps forward with Buffy. Andrew and Jonathan walked up to Warren's side as they stared at the Streak who tried to run at them again, but was unable to move thanks to the strands of magical energy that was tied to his back, legs, and arms. "It's a spell we spent the past few weeks researching. Something to stop anything that moves fast… all for you."

"Let her go," said Barry as he looked at Buffy who was still wearing the face covering.

"She's my toy," said Warren as he drew back his arm and punched Barry in the abdomen. Barry tried to use his speed to block or avoid the punch, but he was unable to move at all. He was hit in the abdomen, and then multiple time across the face while Warren yelled at Buffy to break into the back, and then yelled at Andrew and Jonathan to take the duffel bags and follow her into the vault. "Andrew take the money, jewels.. whatever you can stuff into the bags. And Jonathan, wipe the security tapes. Go."

"Buffy!" yelled Barry watching Buffy walking away with Jonathan and Andrew as he fell to the ground. Once he hit the ground unable to move to protect himself Warren started to kick him. "Buffy!"

"Stop!" yelled Buffy as her body moved without her controlling it. Buffy felt helpless as she placed her hand on the door handle while hearing Barry yell for her. At that same time, Warren knelt down to the injured Barry and reached for his cowl. He whispered at Barry that he wanted to know the identity of the Streak before he was killed. It stunned Warren to see that it was Barry under the cowl, the very same person he had seen in the picture in Buffy's room, and the very same young man who was holding onto her when Warren placed the time shifting device on Buffy's shirt earlier that day. Warren chuckled before he looked up and called for Buffy to come to him.

Before she could pull the door open from its frame, Buffy's body turned around and she walked towards Warren with a curious Andrew and Jonathan. The two young men were surprised to find out that Barry was the Streak while Buffy, trapped in her own body, screamed at Barry to get up and run.

"This is your boyfriend?" asked Warren as he looked at 'Buffy' before chuckling. "I guess it was expected, a superhero with another superhero."

"Cool," said Andrew as he looked at Barry while Jonathan looked on in worry about what was about to happen next.

"Warren," said Jonathan noticing the deranged look on Warren's eyes, confirming his fear that things were going to go south, "let's just get the money, take Buffy with us, and then get out of here. We know who he is now. We won. He'll work for us, and…"

"No," said Warren as he stepped back before looking over his shoulder at Buffy who was looking at the injured Barry who was trying to get to his feet. "Buffy, kill your boyfriend."

"Warren," said Jonathan, "this was not in the plan. We said we were not going to kill anyone, and…"

"We're going to become supervillains," exclaimed Warren at Jonathan, "you really think there won't be any deaths?"

"But…."

"Andrew," barked Warren motioning at Jonathon, "take him back to the car. I'll be right there."

"Maybe we should go back to our lair with Buffy and the money," said Andrew, "come on, Warren. We know his identity, and…"

"No" Warren answered shaking his head while looking down at Barry, "this is much better." The smiling Warren then turned to the Slayer and ordered, "Buffy, kill him."

"Buffy, no!" yelled Jonathan as he tried to tackled Warren while trying to retrieve the sphere from his hand. Yelping as Buffy walked to Barry, Warren regained his balance after the tackle and punched the side of his head. Letting go of Warren while Andrew stood rooted to the spot in fear as he watched the anger on Warren's face, Jonathan grabbed the side of his face that was hit. His ears were ringing when suddenly Warren strode towards him and punched the young man across his face again while Buffy kicked Barry multiple times. She then got on one knee, held him down, and started to punch his face hard multiple times. At the same time, Buffy was screaming at whatever possessed her body to stop as she watched Barry starting to lose consciousness as his nose, cheeks, and lips were bleeding. She saw his eyes had turned red as she pressed her hand down on his chest while pulling back her arm for one last punch that would kill him.

In the meantime, she heard 'thwaks' from behind as Warren was beating Jonathan. But for Buffy, at least her physical body, Jonathan wasn't the concern. Barry was… and as she looked into his eyes, Buffy was about to swing her arm down.

"Buffy," he crocked as they looked at each other while the speedster was struggling to breathe. "So… so… sorry, I… couldn't save… you."

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" yelled Buffy as she watched her boyfriend, her love, about to die in front of her eyes. She pushed back against the cold that surrounded her as she remembered everyone who had ever left her, everyone she had lost, everyone she believed she hadn't fought hard enough to keep. From Angel to Riley, Buffy knew she never tried hard enough… and she lost them all.

There was no way she was losing Barry as she pushed hard against the darkness trapping her in her own body.

"Stop!" yelled Buffy as she looked into Barry's eyes while her arm, which was pulled back and posed to strike at his face, trembled.

"L… Love y… you," said Barry, whose eyes were already getting heavy and his ears were ringing from the last punch thrown his way, as he looked at Buffy's eyes. He was doing everything he could not to close his eyes while unable to move his arms on his own.

"St…." whispered Buffy while she was mentally pushing back with everything she could muster at the darkness that had taken over her body. Looking at her heavily injured boyfriend, mostly injured at her own possessed hands, Buffy pulled on every bit of will power she could find.

"Buf… Buffy?" said Barry.

"St…., sto….,"

"Kill him!" yelled Warren at Buffy after he smashed Jonathan's head into the road for the final time while Andrew looked on in fear after begging Warren to stop. Warren fished out the sphere in his pocket which started to glow in his hands as more of its magical power was being used to force Buffy to follow his orders. "Kill him, you bitch!"

"Jonathan?" whispered Andrew as he rushed to his unconscious friend while Warren rushed to Buffy, "Jonathan?"

"S.. St… stop… stop him," mumbled Jonathan before he closed his eyes. In the meantime, while Andrew was staring at Warren with fear, especially after he seemed to snap following Jonathan begging him to stop hitting him. Warren stood over Buffy and told him that she would have to follow his orders.

"You know what I'll do to the Slayer, Streak?" said a mocking Warren looking at him over the shoulder of Buffy who had her arm still pulled back. Barry shifted his eyes from the look of pain in his girlfriend's eyes to the menacing young man, "I'll force her to parade in the underwear I stole from her room. And nothing else. I do everything I've ever wanted to do to her when she first came to my house.. and I mean everything. She'll be my little bitch in heat. And…."

"Stop," said Buffy as she used her rage at Warren's confession to finally take control of her body before she took off her balaclava just as she heard the sounds of car screeching in the distance. Warren shook his head and stepped back as Buffy got up glaring at him before he held out his hand, the metal sphere in his palm shone brightly as he recited the spell to control her once again. Buffy could feel her consciousness being pulled back by the darkness once again, and knew she had one shoot to prevent it from happening again. She knew the consequences of what would happen to Barry and to her if she failed. Buffy's hand darted out and grabbed the sphere before she crushed it with her bare hands.

"Umm…" said Warren just before an enraged Buffy punched the man in his solar plexus. Warren yelled in pain as he stumbled back while Buffy grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him into the air, as a car engine got closer and closer. Buffy looked over her shoulder at the pair of headlights coming towards her. Recognizing the car as Giles' Citroen, Buffy turned her attention to Warren once again. With tears in her eyes as she recalled what she had done to Barry, Buffy hissed as she put him on the ground.

"I swore never to take a human life… but for you? Oh you, I don't mind."

"You wouldn't dare," said Warren as Giles called out for Buffy while he kneeled next to the injured Barry who was mumbling something to him before closing his eyes, and his body going limp.

"Buffy! It's Barry, we need to get him away from here!" yelled Giles.

"I'll come back for you if you let me go, Slayer," mocked Warren glaring at Buffy, "I'll be back for your dear Streak, I'll.."

"Buffy!" yelled Giles.

"You'll do nothing," hissed Buffy a she put him down and then grabbed both his hands and squeezed hard. HE heard Warren scream as she broke every bone in his hands. "Scream for me." Buffy squeezed more as she remembered what he had wanted to do to her, she remembered the violation he cause by using whatever spell it was that trapped her in her own body.

"If you tell anyone about Barry," hissed Buffy after pushing the screaming Warren away before he stumbled back to the ground, "I will kill you."

She then looked at Jonathan and Andrew, "it's the same with you two. I'll kill you both."

Buffy then rushed to the unconscious Barry and kneeled down with tears in her eyes. She leaned over his face while placing a hand on his cheek, "sorry, Barry. I am so sorry."

"He said it's not your fault, Buffy," said Giles as Buffy caressed his cheek begging him to wake up

"Yes," he replied looking back at the Watcher, "I'm sorry, Giles. I.. I was… I was possessed and…"

"Tara told us," Giles said.

"This line glowed when Barry tried to move," said Buffy wiping the tears away from her eyes while Warren continued to scream in pain. Giles told Buffy, who was begging Barry to open his eyes, that the former asked him to take him home, that his powers would heal him over the next few days. "Buffy, did you hear what I said?"

"Yes," he replied looking back at the Watcher, "I'm sorry, Giles. I.. I was… I was possessed and…"

"Tara told us," Giles said.

"This line glowed when Barry tried to move," said Buffy wiping the tears away from her eyes while Warren continued to scream in pain. Giles looked at the Slayer and then at the red, solid line that was glowing. He didn't know what was going on with the line but Giles asked if she was able to carry him. Buffy reached under Barry's body, and then gently lifted him up while getting to her feet. She then rushed to Giles' car while the watcher opened the rear door and helped Buffy inside the rear seta. Once they were in the car, Giles rushed to the drivers seat, reversed the car and headed off while a tearful Buffy was holding onto the unconscious and bleeding Barry.

And they left behind a screaming Warren who was staring at his crushed hands; an unconscious, but breathing, Jonathan; and Andrew, who was left confused about what to do next.

TBC.

 


	18. Chapter 18

**The Summers Residence, Sunnydale, 0500 hours.**

Buffy was looking down at the unconscious Barry as she listened to his laboured breathing. She thought back to the violation of her body by Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew, and her mind was filled with ways to kill the three of them. She remembered what Warren had told her; she remembered every word about what he wanted to do to her, and she remembered being forced to use her strength to bring the man she loved to the brink of death. Buffy looked out the rear passenger seat window with tears in her eyes before she also remembered Warren and the others knew Barry was the Flash.

She had already told Warren that he would die if anyone was told the truth about Barry. But now Buffy realized that Warren could not be trusted, and neither could Andrew – who she had never met until now. And finally, Jonathan… the very same young man she knew at Sunnydale High… the very same young man whose life she saved many times, could not be trusted either. To Buffy, Jonathan's role in what happened to her was a betrayal.

For right now though Warren was a danger. And Buffy needed to do something. They were almost a block away from the bank when Buffy told Giles to stop.

"Buffy?" asked Giles.

"Stop the car," she hissed as she remembered Warren's smug face, "take Barry home and have Willow and Tara stop the bleeding. I… I.. I'll be right back and…."

"Buffy, whatever…."

"They violated my mind and body, made me hurt my friends and the man I love, and then Warren wanted to take me to their lair and violate me even more!" yelled Buffy as Giles gripped the steering wheel tight, "so please don't give me a speech that I should let them go and let the human justice system take care of them!" she yelled as he face started to redden in anger, "Stop the car and take Barry home!"

Buffy looked back down at Barry and caressed his cheek while his cowl hung from his uniform as Giles pulled over to the sidewalk. She slipped out from under him, gently letting his body fall on the seat while she proceeded to get out of the car after it stopped. "I love you, Barry. I'll be home soon, I… I have to convince them not to tell anyone who you are."

Upon hearing that, Giles looked back at Buffy.

"They know Barry's the Flash," said Buffy as she looked at an expressionless Giles, "this was too far. No one, not even a demon or even the Master, or Drusilla has done this to me. Not even Spike or Angelus… they never violated me like this. I'm not letting this lie, take Barry home."

Buffy then got out of the car, looked at Barry one more time, and then slammed the door shut. She then ran the opposite way as fast as possible. Giles saw the Slayer run as fast as she could through the rear window with sadness in his eyes. He then looked at the laboured breathing from Barry before turning around. He then drove off.

Warren was screaming, with tears in his eyes as he held up his crushed hands while Andrew was helping him onto the passenger seat. He then closed the door while Warren was screaming, pain evident in his high-pitched voice, for him to drive instead of helping Jonathan. But Andrew didn't listen as he rushed to Jonathan and then turned his unconscious body onto his back. He then bent down, wrapped his arms under Jonathan's armpits, and then dragged him to the car.

Reaching the back door after a minute of dragging Jonathan, Andrew leaned the unconscious young man's body against the car before reaching for the door handle. Just as he opened the door, Andrew heard a whistle from above. He then looked up, and gulped as Buffy jumped from the roof of the two-story building down onto the roof of the car. She then, before Andrew could do anything, kicked his forehead, causing him to stumble backwards while she jumped onto the street. She walked to Andrew, who was holding his hand against his forehead while crying out that he was sorry, with her gloved hands rolled into fists. Buffy heard her heart racing as she twisted her body around before slamming her foot into the side of his head. She then rushed at the crying Andrew and punched his stomach before, when he was doubling over, slamming both her fists into his back. The man was then knocked unconscious before she looked up at the unconscious Jonathan leaning back against the car, and then heard the sound of Warren whining.

Buffy walked over to the passenger side door before an enraged Warren glared at her through the open window. He was yelling at her in regards to having his revenge on her and her boyfriend while she opened the door. But before he could continue talking, Buffy punched him numerous times before slamming his head into the dashboard while screaming if he liked it, "because I love it! I love that you're my bitch in heat!"

The Slayer rammed his head into the dashboard two more times until he was knocked unconscious, but still breathing. She looked at the blood trickling down from the cuts on his forehead, and from his nose which was broken from her previous punches. She then looked at the blood on the dashboard before looking back at Warren; however, the expression on her face was cold. She then strode to the side of the road and grabbed the balaclava, put it back on, and then dragged Jonathan and Andrew into the car before she drove it off.

Buffy drove the car to Willie's Bar, a hangout which was supposed to be a neutral ground for various demons that were usually enemies, to simply relax without any problems.

"Hey!" yelled the young woman in the Balaclava and gloves who strode in through the doors. Willie and all the demons in the crowded bar turned to look at the stranger, whose voice was muffled by the face covering, demanded to know if there were any vampires. One she saw a few heads looking up while others stood up from their tables, Buffy asked if any of them wanted real human blood.

"There's no human blood here," said Willie to no one in particular as he put down a glass before handing it to a demon seated at the bar, "you need to leave."

"Any vampire wants fresh blood, go to the car outside," Buffy said curtly before turning around.

Buffy then ran out of there in a hurry and leapt into the side of a darkened building two doors down before climbing her way to the roof. She looked out at the lit bar and watched as six vampires walked out, looked around, sniffed the air before heading towards the car. Buffy guessed that they must have smelled the fresh blood from the unconscious bodies in the back seat, and watched with stone cold hatred on her face as they opened the doors and dragged out the unconscious bodies of the three young men. She watched the vampires smell the three young men to make sure they were still alive, and then they dragged the three of them to what looked like an abandoned building.

Buffy then glared at the vampires dragging the bodies away, turned around, and then left. In the meantime, the six vampires shared the three bodies; they bit down and drank until they had their fill. As Buffy ran back home, she knew that the three young men who called themselves the Trio died.

And she had no problems with that. None at all.

Buffy snapped her eyes open following the dream she just had before slowly bringing her head up and looking at Barry's sleeping face. She was breathing harder after dreaming about what she knew she should have done to the three people who violated her and hurt Barry badly. Buffy wanted to hurt them, she wanted to kill them… and she really wanted Giles to stop the car and let her out. She was about to order him to stop when Barry started to shiver in her arms while they were driving away from the bank. It was then she realised that she couldn't leave Barry's side, 'and what would he say if I did kill them. What… what would it do to me?'

But Buffy, as she looked up at Barry's face, knew the cost of not following through with her fantasy meant that the three villains knew the identity of the Flash.

It was a few minutes after Giles' car screeched into the Summers driveway last night that Barry was hurriedly brought back into the Summers house.

"Oh my God, Barry?!" cried Dawn as the door shut behind them and Willow and Tara, both of whom were sporting bruises on their faces, rushed to Buffy's side. The Slayer remembered what she did to the two witches, and apologised. Tara waved her hands saying that everyone understood what happened, and then she concentrated on Barry.

"My mother used a paste to heal wounds that…. Anyway, I need a few ingredients," said Tara who had a momentary far-away look in her eye. It was a look that made Willow wonder what it was that Tara hadn't told her, but decided to question her later on. Giles told Tara that he'll take her to the Magic Box before telling Buffy to place Barry on a bed.

"Stop the bleeding, and then clean the cuts with alcohol," said Giles, "If there are any clean bandages, then…"

"We have a lot of clean bandages," Joyce said before heading to the kitchen. Giles and Tara then left for the magic box while Buffy, Xander, and Willow rushed upstairs, the young man telling Anya to stay with the shaken Dawn. Seconds later, Joyce rushed up the stairs while Dawn and Anya sat down together on the couch. The young girl was looking up the stairs while Anya tried to keep her distracted from what was going on upstairs.

Back in the present time, Buffy looked at the green coloured paste on parts of Barry's face, chest, and abdomen which covered the cuts and bruises. The paste was meant to be some sort of a healing agent which Buffy herself wasn't sure how it worked, but Tara promised that it would take the pain away while helping Barry's body to heal itself. Buffy looked over her shoulder at the top part of Barry's uniform laying on the back of a chair before she turned and stared at the still sleeping Barry.

With the room smelling of mint and cinnamon from the green paste, the Slayer placed her head on Barry's shoulder again and closed her eyes. She knew that there was a long day ahead of her. She needed to find Warren and the others; it was she knew Willow would be able to help her find out with, and then she was going to tell them to leave… or else. As Buffy breathed in while willing herself back to sleep, she recalled having taken Willow aside after Barry stabilised, and asked her if there was a way to make Andrew, Jonathan, and Warren lose their memories about Barry's identity.

The two of them were in the backyard since Buffy knew that Tara would most likely be against this idea, just as Giles would be. As Buffy breathed in Barry's scent, she remembered Willow looking back at the closed door that led to the backyard to make sure that Tara couldn't hear her. She then turned back to Buffy and said that she needed a few things from the Magic Box, "I'll get them first thing in the morning. The spell shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

"Thanks," Buffy said, "and how about Tara?"

"We just keep this between us," Willow said, "and we don't tell Giles too."

"Agreed."

**The Summers Residence, 0900 hours.**

Barry's heart was beating wildly as he stood confused on the green grass while people he was familiar with were sitting on chairs in front of him. There was Joyce, Dawn, Tara, Willow, and Anya who were seated on one side, while on the other side was Caitlin, Cisco, Joe, Wally, Jessie, Harry, and sitting next to Joe was Iris who was dabbing some tears away before looking away from Barry. Seeing Joe and the others made Barry knit his eyebrows together wondering how he managed to make it back to Earth-One with Joyce and the others. Barry shook his head before he looked around and recognised the backyard and the house to the right.

'Buffy's backyard,' thought Barry to himself before he looked at Joe and the others, and then at the section where Joyce and the other Scoobies were seated.

He then realised that Buffy and Giles were missing from the 'Scooby Section'. Looking around while wondering to himself where Buffy and Giles were, and why he was in the backyard, Barry suddenly noticed someone he didn't recognise. It was a dark-skinned woman in rags with dry hair and white paste on her face. Barry felt a sense of dread upon seeing her, and then quickly turned towards the person who lay a hand on his shoulder.

"Oliver?" asked Barry knitting his eyebrows together once again before wondering to himself that there was no one standing next to him only a second ago, "where…?am I in….? wait… how are you here? And, where is this? and… and how are you and the others here?"

It was then that Barry noticed the suit that Oliver, and Xander behind him, was wearing. He looked down at himself and wondered about his tuxedo and then heard a familiar voice to his left side. Turning to the man and woman standing in front of an alter, a smile appeared on Barry's face as his confusion melted away upon seeing the two people he wanted to see above all others.

"Dad? Mom?"

"Hey, Slugger," said Henry before he placed a hand on Barry's shoulder, and squeezed gently.

"My beautiful boy," Nora said before she stepped forward and hugged Barry. The speedster hugged Nora tight, telling her that he was sorry he wasn't able to save her.

"I'm glad you didn't," Nora whispered in his ear before pulling back and holding his hands. She looked into his eyes and said that she was proud of him.

"But…." Barry stopped talking when a string quartet started playing a rendition of the wedding march. Barry saw Nora and Henry's eyes shifting behind him, and so… a sense of confusion returning, Barry turned around and his heart jumped at the sight in front of him at the end of the aisle, between the rows of seats. Barry saw everyone stand up while Oliver whispered that 'she looked gorgeous'.

Barry's mouth hung open wide as she saw a figure he recognised as Buffy in a white dress being led down the aisle by Giles.

"This is your day, dude," said Xander.

"But…"

Barry saw everyone stand up and turn to the veiled figure in white carrying a bouquet of flowers clasped in front of her. Barry glanced at Iris giving him a sad smile before she looked away towards Buffy as she walked past. Barry shook his head and then noticed the dark-skinned woman again. She had her head tilted while looking directly at him, and her gaze made him shudder. Barry shook his head, and then looked at Buffy walking up to him… and a smile started to develop on his face.

Barry took a step forward and held the Slayer's hand before looking at Giles.

"She's all yours Barry, and remember… you hurt her, we'll all kill you with shovels," he whispered while Buffy chuckled as she looked at her Watcher, and then at Barry. Barry held Buffy's hand, and then pulled back her veil with his free hand before placing a hand on her cheek.

"Hi," he said before leading her up the altar, "this is a nice dream."

"A dream?" asked Buffy. "I…. Ogh."

"Buffy?" asked Barry, who heard a loud gasp from the Slayer. He turned towards Buffy just as she doubled over. Barry saw her hand grasping at a red spot on her chest; a spot that was soaking into her white wedding dress.

"Why…?" asked Buffy as she looked at her blood covered hand and then looked back up at Barry before she stumbled back while the others were just whispering, not making a move to help. Barry saw the dark-skinned woman in rags creep out of the rows of seats towards the end. However, he returned his focus to Buffy, her well-being was a greater concern to him.

"Buffy," yelled Barry as he rushed to the blonde Slayer, and grabbed her before she fell backwards as blood started to trickle down the sides of her mouth. "Buffy! Buffy!" He held her in his arms while the white dress continued being soaked with red blood. He was about to run to the hospital with Buffy in his arms when her body vanished. Stunned, Barry looked around and saw everyone was gone as well.

In addition, he now found himself surrounded by walls of stone and dirt. Barry was in his Flash uniform as he looked around and found himself in some sort of a gigantic cavern, with a dark chasm above him. Turning around, he heard growls and roars from tunnels in the distance, and then there was a thud from behind. Turning around again, Barry rushed to the bleeding body of Buffy who was wearing a black jacket and jeans with a shirt underneath. He was about to call her name and pick her up when there was another thud, followed by another thud, and then another thud.

Barry looked around up and saw bodies raining down all around him. He saw Joyce, Giles, Dawn, Anya, Xander falling from teh chasm and then slamming onto the ground, all dead. He wanted to run and catch them as they fell, but Barry didn't have his speed. So all he could do was watch helplessly as girls rained down around him, and fell with thuds onto the ground. All of them were girls he didn't know, and all of them were young; and soon, the ground was soaked in their blood. Barry looked up and saw one girl after another from the top of the chasm and landing with a hard thud on the ground. Barry rushed to Buffy's side and stayed with her in his arms.

The thuds around him increased as bodies of more girls fell around him, all of them were bleeding from what looked like stab wounds. Suddenly, the bodies of girls stopped dropping. Barry lay Buffy's dead body on the ground; he knew this wasn't real.. he knew that this was just a nightmare and that Buffy was alive and well. But seeing his girlfriend dead still made his heart fall. He turned around and yelled for whoever was responsible for all the bodies to show themselves. Barry's demand echoed throughout the chamber as he spun around with his hands clenched.

"Show yourself!"

Suddenly, Barry heard a 'swish' sound.

It was the same sound made by a speedster, followed by a low growl. Turning around slowly, his hands still wet with Buffy's blood, Barry took in a deep breath when he came face to face with a figure in a black suit.

"Hello, Flash," growled the disfigured body of Hunter Zolomon, otherwise known as Zoom.

"Zoom," Barry said as he stepped back, "you can't…"

"Die," yelled Zolomon as he dashed forward. Barry found that his feet were rooted to the floor in fear. He saw the black suited and disfigured Zoom, running at him with red lighting trailing behind. And then next thing he knew, Zoom's hand went through Barry's chest. Zoom then cried out loud, "You can't save your friends, Barry. You'll fail… you'll always fail. I am the fastest man alive, and you can never ever beat me!"

Barry snapped his eyes open and looked at a curtain-covered window. He saw streams of light shining through while he took in a few deep breaths. He then sighed, glad that it was just a nightmare, before feeling someone lying next to him. Barry turned his head and noticed the bruises all over his body, and then the green paste covering his cuts, and then he stared at the sleeping Buffy. Her head was lying on his should, her arm was around his waist, and so he raised his left arm and placed it on her side.

He looked at the sleeping Slayer and recalled how she looked in the wedding dress before she started bleeding from her chest. And then there was the dream about the Slayer lying dead on the floor of the great chamber with the chasm above his head. He then remembered the dead girls all around him, and then there was Zoom.

'What was Zoom doing there,' thought Barry to herself as he lay his head on the pillow when he started to get dizzy. 'Oh yeah, I should get back to sleep. But… but the dream was so vivid. Buffy was dying and… and maybe this is something I should be talking to Giles, Tara, and Willow later. Then there's the thing with the dead girls, the weird girl in the painted face and… and then there's Buffy in a wedding dress.'

Barry looked at the blonde whose head was on his shoulder, and gently placed his hand on the small of her back. He wondered to himself that it was something that he may have to think about eventually; especially if he wanted to make this Earth a home.

'And I do want to make this a home,' Barry thought to himself as he looked at Buffy while absentmindedly rubbing the small of her back. He recalled the smile on Buffy's face while she was in the wedding dress, and his smile widened at his mother and father being at the altar. His heart fell at the look of sadness on Iris' face, but he was surprised to feel that it didn't bother him as much as it should. 'And that's probably because I'm getting used to this Earth.'

"Ummm," Buffy stirred while Barry smiled a little. He knew that he needed to find Warren and the others and give them a piece of his mind, and maybe send them all to the same island he had sent Spike. For now though, Barry pushed their faces to the back of his mind as he smiled at the groggy expression on Buffy's face as she looked up at him.

"Hey sleepyhead," Barry whispered. Buffy wiped her eyes, and then placed a hand on his cheek and apologized. Barry shook his head while saying that it wasn't her fault. He then held her tight just as heavy footsteps could be heard outside the door.

And then there was a knock. Buffy; groaned before closing her eyes and laying her head on his shoulder while Joyce asked if she could come in, while knocking on the door.

"Go away, mother," mumbled Buffy as she snuggled closer to Barry who had a smile on his face.

"Yea, Joyce," said Barry as Buffy moved her head up and glared at the young man just as the door opened. Barry looked over Buffy's head at Joyce, who apologized just as Dawn rushed into the room and asked Barry if he was feeling better.

"Much better," said Barry as Buffy sighed, and then slowly sat up while glaring at her mother and sister.

"Are they awake?" asked Willow's voice as she rushed into the room, and then rushed to Barry's side to check on the injuries just as Tara walked into the room while yawning.

"How about we let everyone else come in?" said Buffy sarcastically.

"Sorry, Barry… Buffy," said Tara while Willow said that Barry seemed to be healing nicely.

"Quick question," Buffy said before yawning, "umm…. Why are all of you here?"

"We just watched the morning news," Willow said as Joyce walked up to, and stood next to Buffy, "the police found Warren's body."

"What do you mean body?" asked Barry while Buffy looked on stunned.

'That was just a dream,' she thought to herself as her heart raced, 'I know I didn't do anything and…'

"His hands were crushed, and there was a bullet hole in his forehead," Tara said as Buffy and Barry looked at her, "and, in other news, there was a massive power outage last night. Many places, including the Sunnydale Central bank, and other stores and ATM's had their electric security recordings wiped."

"You think it was Jonathan?" asked Buffy.

"I don't know," Willow answered.

"I'll go check it out and…"

"No," Barry said.

"You're still injured," Buffy said as she looked at Barry, and remembered punching him. The Slayer then shook her head and looked away before saying that she should be the one to check it out. She then looked at Willow, "Will, I need Jonathan's address."

"I'll get it for you," Willow said.

"Now you don't have to worry about them," Dawn said as she held onto Barry's hand while looking at Buffy, "that Warren guy's the one who did that to you so… yeah… I'm not sorry to see him go."

"Whatever happens, this is a human crime," Buffy whispered while mentally admonishing herself for not being the one who killed Warren, and the others, 'no.. if I find them, I'll just beat on them a little before turning them in. That's it… that's all I'll do.'

"But it's over," said Barry as he held onto Buffy, "and we move on."

"We move on," said Buffy as she looked at Barry.

"Pancakes?" asked Joyce.

"Please," all of them replied at once.

TBC.

 


	19. Chapter 19

**STAR Labs, a day after Laurel's talk with Oliver.**

With her bracelets activated, Laurel took in a deep breath as the glass door to her cell opened with Oliver and Quentin standing on the other side. They took a step back as Oliver tightened his grip on the bow he was holding in one hand, his other hand ready to reach for an arrow while Laurel stepped out on the cell and onto the walkway. She knew that this was all a precaution as Joe, Thea, and Wally stood at the mouth of the Pipeline. Laurel knew that this was it.. this was the day that a device would be implanted near her spine at the base of her neck. It was going to be a risky surgery, but it would ensure that Laurel would never try to disable the device since there was a chance she'll be paralysed or dead.

The young woman knew that they didn't trust her.

'No, Thea has a little trust in me,' she thought to herself as she looked at Thea who was holding onto her bow with a loose grip. Laurel then looked at Quentin, 'he trusts me… or at least he wants to trust me. He… He's so different. Nothing like dad or… I don't know. He knows what I did, but he still wants to help me and… and well, I can't deny what I did. I worked for Zoom, I killed people in what these people call Earth Two. I killed people here… and despite all that, he things I can be redeemed. Does that make him a fool or… or does he… does he really believe that I can be redeemed?'

She then glanced at Oliver, 'Oliver still doesn't trust me. Can't blame him. Robert never trusted me either. He did try to bring me in multiple times and… ah well, like father, like son. But… but I still loved my Oliver despite my heartbreak. I loved him, and I loved his family. And here he is… preparing to shoot me if I even try screaming.'

"I meant what I said. I'll show you I can be redeemed, Ollie," Laurel said as Quintin gently grabbed her arm and squeezed. Laurel turned to look at Quentin who gave her a small smile. Laurel slightly nodded her head before being guided to one of the labs where Caitlin and Dr. McGee were waiting for her.

Before heading into another room to change into a surgical gown, Laurel turned to Oliver and Quentin once again. She took a deep breath before opening her lips to say a word. But before she could, Quentin stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders. Laurel closed her eyes as Quentin kissed her cheek before whispering that he'll be the first person she sees when she wakes up. Laurel looked into his eyes, and knew he meant every word.

She nodded her head as he placed a hand on her cheek while Oliver said that it would take time to earn redemption.

"And you've taken the first step," he said loosening his grip on his bow. Laurel nodded her head, and the turned to Thea before saying that she was ready.

"Let's get going then," Thea replied as she led Laurel away to a room to get changed. It would be a few days later that Laurel would be fully recovered from the surgery, with a scar at the back of her neck being the tell-tale sign for her that she was tagged. Laurel was then teamed up with Thea, with Oliver and Quentin's approval, in running patrols in the city. Laurel would be surprised a day after her surgery to learn that Wally was the new Flash, and that Caitlin had ice-powers. She even offered to help train Caitlin in the use of her powers since she knew Killer Frost and her abilities.

It was an offer that Caitlin would accept after several weeks.

In the meantime, Laurel became a member of the team. And after two months, she was given a room in STAR Labs. Of course, she was still watched by Thea very closely. She was present the day that a very nervous Cisco asked Thea out on a date, and she chuckled when Thea started stammering a reply before saying yes… after several minutes. She was with the team when they put down several meta-human attacks in the city over a month before everyone agreed to leak a new codename for the young woman.

And thus, Nightwing was born. Before long, Cisco created a brand new civilian identity for her

Laurel was on the road to redemption with Iris, Thea and Quentin her biggest supporters. It would be much later, three months after her surgery that she was officially introduced to her 'mother' on Earth One; Laurel hugged Dinah tight as the both of them cried in each other's arms. And it would be the same when Cisco finally called on the Waverider; and Laurel met her sister- the both of them held on tight for several hours before Laurel made a full disclosure of who she was and what she was doing to fix her mistakes.

**Central City, 0300 hours; six months after the surgery, a total of eight months since Barry vanished.**

His body was cold.

It wasn't an aberration, in fact, his body was supposed to be cold.

He released a groan while finding himself covered in darkness while he lay on a cold, and wet, hard ground. He heard sounds of cars driving by and people talking while going about their business in the distance before smelling their scent. He also took in the scent of rats and trash. He then took in the sweet scent of horror coming from his left after he heard footsteps running towards him.

"Hey… is anyone there?" Upon hearing the voice of the woman, the man realized that he wasn't covered in darkness, instead his eyes were closed shut. Once he heard the woman get closer; her footsteps falling on the ground as she walked onto a small puddle while coming closer to his location, the man opened his eyes and stared at a young woman with pink hair screaming, "oh my God!" He then sat up and smiled at the fear on her face.

A fear that he missed causing as he heard her heart race and her blood pumping fast through her body. The man then bore his fangs as the woman opened her mouth to release another scream. It was then that time slowed down as the man snarled while he prepared to leap into the air. The woman released her scream just as he was in mid-air while her feet were planted firmly in terror. He then tackled her down to the ground before placing a pale hand over her mouth.

The woman looked up at the pale hairless head, with a short stubbed nose, rows of sharp teeth with a couple of pronounced fangs, red eyes and pointed ears looking back down at her. She wanted to scream just as he pushed her head roughly to the left. Tears went down her cheeks as she tried to scream for help, hoping that Kid Flash, Flash, or Red Arrow would save her. But the man she saw as a literal monster never allowed a sound to escape her lips thanks to the vice like grip of his hand over her mouth while the other hand held down her shoulder.

Leaving her jugular vein exposed.

She then heard a growl before sharp teeth pierced her skin. In the end, the woman closed her eyes, gritting her teeth in pain as she felt her body growing cold. She wanted to cry for her parents and brother while the monster dug his teeth further into her neck and drew more blood.

As he drank, the man groaned at the feeling of the warm, sweet blood, pouring into his mouth. He moaned in pleasure as his mind flashed back to the blonde Slayer he was fighting years ago. The very same blonde Slayer that he had killed earlier that night, who then came back to life and in turn killed him. He remembered the large wooden stake that he fell into before turning to dust.

And now, as he drew his lips back, lifted his head, and flung the dead body away, the man got up to his feet and sensed for the very person he wanted to kill again. He concentrated, but couldn't sense her anywhere nearby.. In fact, he had no idea how it was that he wasn't dust.

'Another question that needs an answer,' he thought to himself before trying to sense for the blonde Slayer once again.

But he couldn't sense her. But he could sense something very familiar, and a smile formed on his face. The man then back down out into the alleyway that lead to the main street where several cars were driving by. He saw and heard people talking to themselves while continuing to wondering where he was.

All questions that needed to be answered later.

He looked around once again, and found a manhole cover a few inches away. He wanted to be in the dark while he planned his next move. All he knew was that, this time, there was no magical force field keeping him away from the rest of the world. This time, he could go out to the world and make it his own. The man, still pale as his yellow eyes looked out at the people in the distance, continued to hunger. He looked back at the dead body, and smirked before licking the blood off his fingers. Removing the manhole cover, the man then jumped into the sewers so that he could reconnoitre his new home. At the same time, he was going to sate his hunger before building an army to fight any Slayers that may exist in the city.

And once he had his army, he was going to open the Hellmouth he could feel lying under the city. It was barely there… the familiar mystical energy just brushing against his skin. Once he was in the sewers, a young blonde woman appeared out of think air in a purple blouse and cream pants with her arms crossed over her chest.

All she did was smile as the manhole cover slid into place.

**Central City, 2100 hours.**

Joe stared at the body in the alley with a quizzical look on his face. He was crouched down as he listened to the new CSI who took over Barry's place while the young man was on his 'extended vacation', Julian Albert, as he described the state of the body lying on the wet ground.

"It's just like the ten others we have in the morgue," Julian said as Joe stood next to him while staring down at the body. He then crouched down and lifted the sheet covering the body; and Joe set his eyes on the dark haired, and deathly pale, young woman. Joe then covered the body once again before asking if he thought the body was really like the other ten they discovered all over Central City earlier in the day.

Joe remembered the first call he received at ten in the morning earlier that day. He was directed to an alleyway where Julian, the new CSI that replaced Barry who was on an 'extended emergency vacation', was crouched next to a covered body. The man, upon seeing Joe, pulled back the cover to reveal a pinked haired young woman who was pale. Over the rest of the day, nine other bodies would be discovered band the called in to the police; and all of the bodies were drained off blood.

And this latest victim made it the eleventh that day alone.

"From first glance," said Julian as he looked at Joe who stood up to his feet, "I'd say that she died anywhere between fourteen to sixteen hours ago. She has the same bite marks on her neck as the other bodies, and I'm sure that the autopsy will tell me that she had been drained off blood."

"What the hell is going on here?" asked Joe as he stared in surprise at the body. Joe had seen a lot after Barry became the Flash, but this was something else. This was a disturbing sight he was looking at, and made him wonder if there was some kind of an occult connection to this case. Shaking his head while pushing aside what he thought of as ridiculous thoughts of vampires running the city, the man took refuge in the believe that there were murderers killing people to drain their blood for some sick ritual.

"Let's get the body back to the CCPD," said Joe as he rubbed the back of his head. He nodded at Julian before walking out of the alleyway, and looking at both sides of the street which were crowded with people behind police barriers. They saw the police cars parked out sire the alley, and were curious as to what was going on.

Joe looked around the crowd just as there was a gust of wind to his left. Turning his head as cameras from the on-lookers went off, Joe turned to look at Kid-Flash in his yellow uniform. And the man tried to hide a smile on his face.

"What's going on, detective?" asked Kid Flash as he vibrated his voice in case some of the on-lookers were recording this moment on their phones. "Another body?"

"Yea," Joe said recalling having told his son, Thea, Laurel, Caitlin, Cisco, and Dr. McGee about the 'unique' nature of the bodies after the seventh one was found four hours ago. He and Thea, the de-facto leader of the STAR Labs team, then discussed ways to step-up their patrols with Laurel and Wally. Joe then talked to Iris, as her 'source' inside the CCPD, about what he knew about the case regarding the drained bodies; and it would be in the evening edition of the Central City Picture News that reports of the gruesome murders were first reported by Iris.

While Joe headed back to the police station, both Thea and Laurel were in their uniforms as they rode through the city on their motorcycles, while Wally ran through the whole city, all three searching for anything strange. In the meantime, Cisco and Caitlin were monitoring the emergency services for any calls on strange sightings or dead bodies.

**Central Picture News, 2200 hours.**

Iris knew that Cisco was doing everything he could to bring Barry back home; in fact, he had modified his goggles so that he could push his powers over their limit so that he could see further into the multiverse. She knew that he was pushing harder for her… she was feeling depressed at losing Barry, and she was trying her best to hide it from everyone. But Cisco saw through her deception and promised to find a way to get Barry back to them.

It was the thought of missing Barry's laugh, his smile, his mere presence in her life that occupied Iris as she walked down the street after having left the CCPN offices. As she walked, Iris started to have this strange feeling of being watched. She stopped walking and looked around at her surroundings. She scanned the immediate area with her eyes, and saw people walking past her, while cars were being driven on either side of the street. Iris then sighed before telling herself she was being a little paranoid after having written about the drained bodies that were discovered earlier that day.

Shuddering a little as she tightened her coat around her body, the young woman continued her walk to her car. Iris opened her handbag and took out her car keys before closing it, all while continuing to walk while a figure in a trench coat closed around his body along with a hat pulled forward that covered his face headed towards her.

"Iris West?" asked the deep male voice once they were a step away, "forgive me for coming to see you at such a late hour. I was told I would be able to find you here."

Iris didn't know why, but she felt a chill go up her spine after she stopped walking. She was just two cars away from her vehicle, but the figure in front of her was blocking her way. She tried to move to one side and walk past him while her hand went back into to her handbag and grabbed her phone. She stepped back when he blocked her way, so she placed her hand around her phone, while saying that she was the person he was looking for.

"How.. how can I help you?" Iris asked as more people walked past them while the young woman wondered why she felt so uneasy. Another though going through her mind was who could have told a complete stranger about her, and why.

"I only recently arrived in your fair city," said the man as Iris turned on the screen on her phone, "my benefactor has spoken to me of your relationship with the ones known as the Flash and Kid-Flash."

"Who… who told you that I have a relationship with both of them?" Iris stammered as her mind was yelling at her to tap the screen on her phone, the upper left corner where the special app was located before she turned around and run as fast as she possibly could. But a great fear kept her rooted to the spot. Her legs were unable to move, in fact they were shaking, as the man took a step closer. "I… I… just… just interviewed… them… and…"

"I was told that you know them very, very well," said the figure while Iris' brain was screaming at her fingers inside the bag to press the screen to activate the app on her phone which would then send an SOS to STAR Labs. But she couldn't move. Iris opened her eyes wide as the man lifted his head, and she looked in horror at the red eyes staring back at her. "I finally know why I have arrived in this world… this very, very unique world. She has told me about the Flash, Kid Flash, Nightwing, Red Arrow…. Ummm. Personally, she and I are more interested in Kid Flash since he's the only speedster on consequence in this world. You see, with his powers? Millions of humans can be turned in a few days… and then I will find a way to open the mouth of hell in this world."

"I…, I….., what do you mean by turn? And… and mouth of Hell?" Iris stammered as she continued to stare into those red eyes. She felt her body being pulled into an alleyway. She was screaming out for help, but her lips weren't responding. She felt herself walking deep into the alley before she was pushed against a wall. Iris wanted to press the button, but she couldn't. He body wasn't moving, and neither were her lips, when she screamed for Wally to help her. The man then looked to the left, sniffed the air, and then grabbed Iris by the waist and jumped high into the air before they landed on the roof of a four-story office building.

"I've had my fill," said the man as he took off his hat.

And Iris wanted to scream as she stared helplessly at his demonic visage. The man looked as if he was out of one of the horror movies that Wally watched with Jesse when the Earth Two speedster arrived for a date with him a few days ago. "I will grant you the honor of being reborn as my very first lieutenant. Your mission is to turn Kid Flash, and then bring him to me. Don't worry, you will know exactly where I am."

The man, or demon, grabbed Iris's bag and flung it to the ground. He then growled, grabbed her head, turned it to the side, and then bit into her neck. Iris opened her mouth to scream, but nothing happened; there was no scream. The only thing she could feel was that she was getting weaker the more her blood was being drunk by the man.

'A vampire? How… how can there be a vampire? I… I… I feel cold. So cold. Barry? Wally? Daddy? Hel… help m.. me. Please, help me.' Iris's body went numb as she fell to the floor. She saw her vision slowly fading, as the man.. the vampire… kneeled next to her while cutting his wrist. Iris tried to scream 'no', but nothing came out of her lips once again. She mentally begged for the vampire to stop, while her body turned cold as her head was lifted up to his wrist.

Then it happened. He placed the bleeding cut on her lips, and the blood poured into her open mouth. What should have toted disgusting, tasted sweet as honey for Iris. As her mental screams faded, Iris grabbed the man's hand as she started to draw more blood out of the wound. The man had to tear away the young woman's head from the bleeding wound before she fell on the ground. Her skin was turning pale as the man then lifted her body in his arms just as a bolt of lightning passed the street below. After it was gone, the man then threw Iris' body over the edge of the building.

He heard people screaming as Iris' body landed with a thud on the roof of a car before bouncing off and falling onto the sidewalk.

The man then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before walking away. It was time to turn more people, but Iris was going to be his first. She was special… he could sense it.

"Good job," said a dark-skinned woman who appeared out of nowhere as the man walked away. The woman walked beside him before he jumped off the roof and landed on another roof on the adjacent building. However, the woman just reappeared next to him as he continued to walk away. "Come now, I've enabled the reconstitution of your essence on another world. You should be happy. I gave you Iris and a way to turn Wally into a weapon of mass destruction."

"I want vengeance against her!" he snarled at the woman who looked just like Francine West. "You know who I want."

"Bring hell to this world," said Francine as she smirked at the vampire, "once you have an army, then you will have your kingdom, and your vengeance. And so will I."

**STAR Labs, 2210 hours.**

There was silence in the medical bay as everyone stared at the body lying on the gurney in front of them while equipment lay strewn on the floor and on smaller tables around the gurney. Cisco's face was twisted in anguish as he held onto Thea who stared at the body with tears in her eyes. Caitlin was standing in her white coat with Dr. McGee on either side of the body while a tearful Joe, who had his hand covering his mouth was standing in utter silence and shock with Wally sobbing in the corner of the room. The young man sat on the floor while covering his eyes with his hand. As for Laurel, all she could do was look at the dead body in front of them as she recollected memories of her short time getting to know the young dead woman.

It was only a few minutes ago that Cisco intercepted a 911 call from a panicked woman who reported a body of a female falling off the roof of a building.

"Wally," said Cisco as he listened to the recently made call to 911, "get back to a block down from CCPN. I just intercepted a call about a body that fell from the roof. I need you to…"

"On it," Wally replied as he changed direction. Laurel and Thea heard Cisco as well, and told him that they would be heading to that general direction to search for any suspicious person.

"They couldn't have gone far," Thea said when she suddenly heard Wally saying 'oh God, oh God' over their communications system. "Kid Flash? Kid flash?"

"Meet… meet me at STAR Labs, call dad… oh God, someone call dad."

"Wally?" asked Cisco as he stood up and was about to ask what was going on. He didn't like the tinge of anguish in his voice, and Cisco was about to repeat his question about what was going on when Wally 'whooshed' into the Cortex.

"Cisco!" cried Wally with tears in his eyes as the long haired young man turned to see an unconscious and bleeding Iris in the speedster's arms, "help… please help!"

"Caitlin and Dr. McGee to medbay one! We have a medical emergency! I repeat we have a medical Emergency!" Cisco turned and slammed him hand onto the button that activated the intercom.

Cisco then turned to Wally and ordered him to run. Just as Wally dashed off, Cisco picked up the phone with shaking hands before pressing down on the app on his phone. It sent a signal to Joe, who was still at his desk at the police station reading the latest report on the drained body, who picked up his phone and received the SOS. As he got up, the man then returned a call to Cisco who told him, in no uncertain terms, to get to STAR Labs immediately.

"It's Iris, Joe… you.. you need to get here now," Cisco said, his voice shaking, "please.. Just.. just drop everything and…"

"On the way!" yelled Joe.

AS Joe looked at Iris' body through tear stained eyes, his heart ached upon realizing that he lost a son, and now he lost a daughter. He glanced over at Wally before looking at the body once again before he whispered, "someone needs to call… call… call…."

"Mr. West, Joe," Dr. McGee said as she walked around the gurney with sadness on her face before she gently laid a hand on his arm, "we'll make the call to the Medical Examiner. I would like for you and… and your son to get some rest while…"

"I… I want to stay and…."

"We'll talk to the M.E about Iris, that you'd like us to run the autopsy," said Dr. McGee while Caitlin looked down at the body as she tried to hold back her tears. The young woman was pale and had the pair of marks on her neck, just like all the other victims. Caitlin didn't feel right about conducting an autopsy on her friend, but she and the others needed to know what exactly was going on. Caitlin hoped that she and Dr. McGee could find something that the Medical Examiner hadn't found in all the other bodies.

"Joe," whispered Caitlin as she looked at Iris' body. Her voice cracked for an instant before speaking again as she looked at the tearful father, "who.. whoever did this may have left a clue that the CCPD couldn't find. I… I think… wait, no, I mean I know, I know that she would be able to give us the clue we need to stop this… this murderer."

"I… I want to stay and…"

"Detective," said Laurel as she looked at the crying father, "I… I want to check out the site where Wally found Iris' body. She was thrown off the roof, so maybe we can find something there. I.. I mean it's a guess and… and she was good to me. She was one of the people to make me feel welcome after leaving the cell, she was one of the people who helped me get used to this new Earth, and so I'd like to find the person who did this and make them pay."

Joe wiped his eyes and nodded his head; his entire body felt hot as he thought about the young woman lying in front of him. He wasn't certain if Laurel meant that she wanted to see justice done by making whoever did this pay for this act, but he didn't care. He told himself that he would kill the man or woman who did this to his daughter. Thea then said that she would go with them before looking back at Cisco who was still staring at Iris' body. She kissed him on the cheek before whispering that they were going to leave for the crime scene.

"And I… I'll be.. be guiding you guys from the Cortex," Cisco whispered sadly.

It would be a few minutes later that Wally would be brought up to his feet by Caitlin after everyone had left. She then took him to another room where he was laid down on a cot while he continued whispering that he was too late.

"No, you weren't," Caitlin said gently as Wally plopped down on the cot in his uniform while looking at the floor though reddened eyes. "Wally, you…"

"I ran past the building a few seconds after she was thrown off the roof," said Wally as he looked into Caitlin's eyes, "I was there! I was there when she was attacked and I didn't do anything! I was there, Caitlin!"

"It's not your fault," said Caitlin gently as she tried to not have her voice crack, "none if this is your fault. You couldn't have known what was happening on the roof. No one could have known, Wally."

"Barry would have saved her," whispered Wally as he started sobbing again, "oh God I killed Iris, Caitlin. She died because of me and.. and what's Barry going to say? What's dad going to say? What…"

"Wally," said Caitlin as she gently laid her hands on the young man's shoulders, "this is not your fault. No one, not even Barry could be everywhere at once. The one who's at fault is the murderer who took Iris away from us. Right now, I want you to get some rest. I… I'll call you once we're done with the autopsy. Hopefully we'll find a clue to the monster who did this."

"Yeah," Wally whispered before he lay down on the cot, "yeah."

It would be an hour later that Caitlin and Dr. McGee finished the autopsy on Iris' body. But this time, they did find something unusual they hadn't found in the other bodies. Her body still had blood despite the appearance of pale skin. As Dr. McGee was closing up the incisions she had made earlier to gain access to Iris' organs, she noticed something odd.

Iris' eyes seemed to be moving under her eyelid, as if she was dreaming.

"Caitlin?" asked Dr. McGee as Caitlin got off from her seat where she was inputting data into a computer, and then walked to the older woman who was stepping back from the body. Before Caitlin could say anything, she jumped back, as did Dr. McGee, when Iris' body jerked slightly. The two of them looked at each other with eyes wide open before the younger woman told Dr. McGee that the jerk was probably a result of the body releasing any remaining electrical charges through its system. Dr. McGee, her heart racing while her skin erupted with goosebumbs, nodded her head before saying, "you're right."

"Of course I…." Caitlin stopped talking when she saw Iris open her eyes and stare at the ceiling, "oh my God!"

"Iris?" cried Dr. McGee as she rushed to the former dead body when, all of a sudden, Iris' left hand shot up when the older woman was looking down right at her. Caitlin then rushed around the gurney and grabbed Iris' hand while yelling for help. However, the autopsy room door was shut and there were no cameras. But Caitlin continued to yell for help while trying to pry off Iris' fingers from Dr. McGee's neck.

"Help?" asked Iris as she sat up, the white sheet that had been covering her falling off her body while she stared at Dr. McGee and Caitlin. The former felt Iris' hand around her neck like a vice as she continued trying to pry off her fingers with Caitlin's help, "help?" Iris smiled at the both of them before she swung her arm, along with Dr. McGee's body, over the gurney and flung her to the other side of the room effortlessly as Caitlin screamed while stumbling back. Dr. McGee slammed into the wall as Caitlin screamed before running around the gurney once again and rushed to the groaning Dr. McGee who fell onto a table and several pieces of equipment before landing on the floor.

Caitlin made sure that Dr. McGee was alright before she looked up and saw an amazed Iris looking down at her hands, and then at her arms, and back at Caitlin and Dr. McGee.

"Who are you?" asked Caitlin as she eyed the emergency alarm button on the other end of the room that would set off all the alarms in the building, and send an automated SOS to team Flash who were still investigating Iris' death. Since the autopsy room didn't have camera's connected to the Cortex, the alarm would also notify Cisco and wake up Wally. But she needed to reach the button first, as she stared at Iris who stepped onto the floor while, much to Caitlin's surprise, the cuts on her chest started to heal right before her eyes.

"I'm Iris, Caitlin," said the young woman as she stepped forward while Caitlin, with hands trembling, tried to disable the bracelets that nullified her powers. Iris then stopped, smiled, and titled her head before saying, "but I feel alive, Caitlin. I can see things for the first time… oh my… I can heart your hearts racing… I can smell the fear coming off you both and… and the blood. I can smell the blood."

"Iris?" asked Caitlin as her eyes went wide while Iris liked her lips as ridges formed on her forehead, her eyes turned yellow, and she rolled back her lips to reveal a set of fangs. "Oh my God!" Fear gripped Caitlin's heart as she looked down and attempted, with shaking and sweat covered hands, to take off the bracelets.

But she couldn't.. she was in a panic as she tried to catch the bracelet's latch with her finger, but she couldn't get to it. And then she heard a deep growl. Caitlin looked up, and then saw Iris leaping at her. The female West grabbed Caitlin by the hair and flung her to the side wall before bending down and grabbing Dr. McGee by the throat. Iris lifted her up into the air before slamming her into the wall while a groaning Caitlin slowly got up to her feet. Finding herself near the button, she got up to her feet and then limped to the button while Iris glared at a very frightened and tearful Dr. McGee who was begging for her life.

"I'm hungry," Iris snarled.

"Miss… Miss West… I.. Iris…" begged Dr. McGee as she struggled to speak. Suddenly, Iris' hand let her go, and the older woman fell down onto her feet. Then Iris growled and grabbed her head, twisted it to the side before leaning down and biting into her neck. Caitlin's eyes were wide open in terror as she slammed her fist on the emergency alarm. She watched as Iris drank the blood from Dr. McGee after she turned around, her mouth latched onto the female scientists' neck, and stared at Caitlin while moaning.

"Wally get to the autopsy room!" Cisco's voice said through the P.A system.

"I'm still hungry," growled Iris as she let Dr. McGee's body fall to the floor after draining her blood. Caitlin saw blood trickle down the sides of Iris' mouth before she licked it away with her tongue, "I wonder what your blood tastes like, Cait. Ice cold?"

"You're not Iris," said Caitlin as she limped towards the closed door while staring at the yellow eyes, "you…"

"I'm Iris," she replied reverting to her human face, "I'm just better… more alive than I've ever been, and…"

"Iris?" asked Wally with eyes wide open after he zoomed in through the door, "I…"

"Wally," Caitlin said as she finally grabbed the latch on the bracelets. She took them off, and then dropped them on the floor while telling Wally that the woman in front of them wasn't Iris, "and she just killed Dr. McGee."

"No," whispered Wally as he glanced at the body of the older scientist before looking back at his sister who didn't even bother covering herself up as she snarled at Wally, "Caitlin… this.. this is Iris, and…"

"It's not Iris," said Caitlin as her heart raced while feeling her body start to get colder.

"Wally, my brother," Iris said as she tilted her head, "I'm me… I still love you, I.. still love dad. I want to make you both see the truth about who we could be.. what we could be. Immortal. We can live forever and…."

"Iris,, what are you talking about?" as he looked away, "and please put…."

"The Master can show you, Wally," said Iris as she took a step forward. Caitlin saw the hesitation in Wally's face as he glanced at Iris before looking away again. Caitlin never wanted to use her powers despite training with both Thea and Laurel. All she wanted to do was be a scientist… she didn't see herself as a warrior or a fighter. But seeing the hesitation on Wally's face made Caitlin realize that she needed to step up or else the both of them could die, and so she stepped forward while asking Iris about the name she mentioned.

"Who's the Master?"

"He just wants Wally," said Iris, "he will be the prince of a new world order ruled by our kind. The Master will rule us, and we will be his first. His dark prince and princess."

"Iris?" asked Wally shaking his head as he tried to think through the fog in his head of what his sister, his dead sister, was saying, "you.. you're sick. Maybe you need to lie down and…"

"Wally, we finished the autopsy," said Caitlin as ice cold vapour started to rise from her hands. Her eyes started to turn blue as Iris stepped back into an attacking posture as if recognizing a threat, "Iris was dead. You know she was dead when she came in. You know we did everything to revive her. Damn it, Wally.. we cut into her body.. she's dead. This isn't Iris. This… whatever this is… is…"

"I'm Iris West," growled the young woman as she 'vamped out', and then ducked and weaved as Caitlin fired off streams of freezing cold ice and air. All Wally could do however, was stand rooted to the ground as he watched his sister, moving faster than a normal human, getting closer to Caitlin.

"Wally!" yelled Caitlin as Iris rammed into her, and then grabbed her arm before twisting it behind her back. Iris then held Caitlin's body like a shield, an arm across her neck while she stared at Wally who stared back at her.

"So slow, bro," Iris chuckled before biting into Caitlin's neck.

"Iris! No!" yelled Wally when he watched Caitlin's eyes open wide before she let off a small scream while Iris started to drink her blood. However, Iris was lost in the taste of the cold liquid as she closed her eyes and moaned. Wally shook his head before running at the two young woman. He pried Iris's arm off Caitlin's neck, and then pushed Iris away while running a few steps back with Caitlin.

"Wally, Wally, Wally," sneered Iris as she got up after being slammed into the wall and then falling onto the floor. She then almost immediately started to get up to her feet, "listen to your older sister. You can't kill me… you won't kill me in fact."

"Iris," said Wally as the severely weakened Caitlin was pressing one hand into the still bleeding neck wound while her other arm was around Wally's shoulder, "I know you're in there somewhere and…"

"This is me, Wally," exclaimed Iris, "this is the real me. Now, listen to me when I say that I want you by my side. We can rule… we can rule everything on this Earth. We… we will bring hell to this plain of existence and…"

"Caitlin!" yelled Cisco as he rushed in to the autopsy room, which was when he caught sight of the miniature disaster area around him. He saw the injured Caitlin holding onto Wally, and then saw the dead Dr. McGee, and then he saw Iris standing with a demonic face, "what…. Gah! What the hell? Iris?"

"Cisco!" yelled Iris as she leapt at the young man while baring her teeth, "the Master will want you too, and…"

"No!" yelled Caitlin as she gathered what power she could and fired a wide blast of sub-zero air and frost at Iris after extending the hand that was covering her bleeding neck. Iris screamed as she fell onto the floor a few inches away from Cisco's feet while he jumped back slightly. In the end, her entire body was covered in a thick layer of ice while she glared upwards at Cisco.

"This won't stop me!" growled Iris as she looked up at Cisco, and then moved her head while her entire body was encase in a thick layer of ice as Caitlin fainted in Wally's arms. Iris tried to use all her strength to break the think layer of ice covering the thin sheet which covered her body, but she had no luck. She then looked at Wally, and Cisco once again before yelling, "this will never stop me! This will never stop him! More are coming… more of my kind are coming. I am his… just as Wally will be his… just as you will be his as well, Cisco. "

"Iris, I…."

"Touch me, Cisco" said Iris as she returned to her human visage, "I won't bite you. At least not yet, just touch my forehead and you'll see… you'll see what's in store for your future."

"Cisco?" asked Wally as he held onto the unconscious but still breathing Caitlin. He watched Cisco, his hands shaking reaching out to Iris' face. He touched her forehead, and then suddenly pulled away before stumbling back onto the floor. He stumbled back into the hallway while still staring at the smile on Iris' face. Wally rushed over to him before leaning Caitlin against the wall. He then turned back to look at the fear on Cisco's face before asking what he had seen.

"Yes, Cisco," sneered Iris, "what did you see? Tell us…. Did you see me and Wally by the Master's side ruling over the world?" Iris then started to chuckle, and then laughed at the expression on Cisco's face.

"We're all dead," said Cisco as he looked up at Willow while his blood turned figuratively cold, "I.. I saw hell. I.. I saw this world fall into hell. And…. And Barry… oh God I saw Barry, Jay, Jessie, Oliver, Thea, and… and women… so many women. All dead. All… all dead surrounded by fire."

TBC.

 


	20. Chapter 20

**STAR Labs, Earth One, a few seconds later.**

"Well, well, well, Cisco," growled the vampiric Iris West as she stared at him with her yellow eyes, "you saw hell. And you saw Barry? Interesting."

"It... it's not possible," said Cisco as he brought his hands to either side of his head as he looked away, and down at the floor, while Wally looked at him in concern.

"Cisco," Wally asked as he placed a hand on the man's shoulder, and was surprised by how much he was trembling. Cisco looked up at Wally kneeling beside him and told him that he could feel it in his heart that what he saw was real. Cisco then looked away, and at Iris as he remembered the surrounding landscape of ruins that used to be Central City.

He could feel pure evil surrounding him, gripping around his heart as his body turned cold. Cisco remembered seeing the dead bodies of Thea, Laurel, Jessie, Jay, the Legends, Oliver and Team Arrow, and hundreds of girls lying dead around him. Cisco remembered looking down at his feet and saw Barry's dead body. He was holding the hand of a blonde young woman; he was wearing a brand-new suit which had a hole in his chest where his heart used to be, and the woman had a strange weapon impaled into her back. Cisco then closed his eyes to try and push down the feeling of nausea as he felt the cold touch of death around his heart once again when he recalled that particular vibe.

Opening his eyes once again, Cisco could hear Wally calling his name gently.

"Wally," Cisco whispered, "something bad is coming, I can feel it."

"What? Cisco, what's coming?" Wally asked just as Iris stopped laughing. She then gasped out loud, which was when Wally tilted his head as he turned while crouching, and stared at his sister. Cisco stared at her too while her face started to twist in pain as she suppressed a scream. Her vampire visage then transformed to her human one, and she stopped panting. Instead, she knitted her eyebrows in confusion at Wally and Cisco, and then at the unconscious Caitlin. She then closed her eyes and shook her head again before groaning in pain.

"Wally?" she whispered, her voice sounding confused while she looked down at her ice covered nude body, and then back up at Wally and Cisco who were looking back at her. She could see Cisco showed genuine fear, and Wally's face exuded hope. "Cisco? What's going on? Why am I… oh my God, I'm freezing! Wally! Cisco! I'm freezing and I'm naked! Why am I naked! Oh my God! Get this ice off me! Wally, please quick, get this ice off of me. And.. wait... get me a blanket. And then get this ice off me."

"Hold on, Iris," said Wally, hearing the sound of panic in Iris' voice, before he dashed to one of the labs, where he grabbed a blanket and then dashed back to the autopsy room. What was running through his mind at that point in time was that the person reacting to the cold was his sister.

It couldn't be anyone else. It couldn't be the monster he had seen earlier who nearly killed Caitlin, and it could not be the one who killed Dr. McGee. He didn't know how, but he knew in his heart that he had his sister back.

Wally could see that she was trembling with fear in her eyes as she begged him to shatter the ice through chattering teeth. He knew that something had happened to her, that something had changed her; but he knew in his heart that the person he was looking down at was his real sister.

A sister who was a meta-human capable of coming back to life. He told himself, as he rushed to Iris' side, that what happened to Dr. McGee was a tragedy; that Iris didn't know what she was doing. He knew in this heart that Joe would say the same thing too.

They were not going to lose another member of their family.

'It's a miracle.' thought Wally as he lay the blanket to one side and got down one knee. He looked to his left and could see that Cisco was still stunned by whatever he had vibed. But his thoughts about any concerns Cisco may have about Iris was driven to the side by his sister yelling in pain because of the freezing ice she was covered in.

"Wally, no," Cisco whispered as he raised his head and watched Kid Flash place his palms on the thick ice. Cisco was mentally telling his body to move… he was mentally pushing his body to move and stop Wally. There was something in him that was yelling out 'that is not Iris!'

Cisco watched, with his heart racing and his breathing shallow, as Wally started to vibrate the palms of his hands on the ice. "No.." Cisco whispered, "Wally, no. That's not Iris, that's not Iris."

Wally was letting his emotions get the better of him. Cisco could see that, but he couldn't move. Fear had taken over his body. What he saw in his vibe terrified him, so much so that he felt trapped in his body. He continued to mentally scream at his body to move.

"Hold on, Iris," Wally said gently as the ice started to crack.

"Oh God, Wally!" screamed Iris, her voice tinged with pain, "it stings. Please, why am I iced over! Please, Wally, help… get it off.. get it off!"

"Hold on," Wally whispered as he looked at tears falling from her eyes hitting the floor, "hold on."

"Wally!" Cisco finally yelled as he used all his strength to push himself off the floor just as the ice started having deeper cracks. He got up on his trembling feet, and then rushed to Kid-Flash as he pushed aside his fear. "Wally, no!" Cisco tackled Wally to the ground as the ice around Iris' body started to develop more cracks. The two of them fell to the floor, with Wally angrily asking Cisco what he was doing.

"Iris was calling us for help," yelled Wally as he pushed off Cisco who rolled off him and onto the floor. The long-haired young man rolled on the floor while Wally dashed up and then continued to vibrate his palm on the ice and watched as the ice cracked further while Iris continued to scream in pain.

Cisco looked on with eyes wide open while creaking sounds could be heard coming from the extremely dense ice around Iris' body. 'Caitlin… Caitlin must have used every bit of power to develop that ice prison. It's dense, extremely dense' thought Cisco to himself as he got up to his shaking feet. Once he was up, Cisco yelled at Wally to stop what he was doing when he suddenly felt the weight of the necklace around his neck.

For Cisco, as it was for Caitlin, science was everything in their world. Everything had an explanation, even magic. But if Iris had become what he thought she had become, then Cisco had to finally put faith into something he thought was illogical. He then heard the ice creaking while Iris encouraged her brother to continue shattering the ice.

'Now or never,' thought Cisco to himself.

"Damn it, Wally!" yelled Cisco as he got up to his feet and dashed at Wally who was still trying to shatter the unusually thick ice. Just before Cisco reached Wally, there was the sound of a wide crack developing just as Cisco pulled Wally away. The two of then stumbled out into the hallway, Cisco pulling Wally along while yelling at him to listen. However, the enraged Wally punched Cisco across the face in the hallway before the latter could explain.

"She's in pain! Damn it!" yelled Wally as Cisco was forced to let go of him as he stumbled back onto the floor. Wally then dashed to Iris' side and then vibrated his arms much faster on the ice. In the meantime Cisco slowly got to his knees, his body shaking with an unnatural fear, reached under his shirt and took out the cross pendant his grandmother had given him several years earlier. "Wally! No!" yelled Cisco as he heard the ice creak even more before shattering onto the ground. While Cisco stared in disbelief at the tearful Iris thanking him and Wally profusely, there was something telling him that it was all an act.

He slowly got up to his feet while Wally placed the blanket over Iris' back as she continued to thank them before asking what happened to her. She asked them why she had gaps in her memories.

"I remember being bitten by… by someone, and then… then it's all dark after that," said Iris while looking at Wally who helped her up. She wrapped the blanket around herself which she blushed staring at Cisco, and then looking at Caitlin with worry on her face. She then turned to Wally.

Cisco stood rooted to the spot while he was staring at Wally who had his arm around her shoulders and apologised for punching him.

"She's alright," said Wally motioning towards the still blushing Iris, "look… run tests on her to find out what happened, and why she's alive, and…"

"Alive?" asked a suddenly confused iris as she looked at Wally, and then at Cisco, and then back at Wally, "what do you mean alive? Wait? I was dead?"

"Well…." Said Wally trailing off as Iris turned to the suspicious Cisco.

"I was dead?" Iris then looked at Caitlin, and then at Dr. McGee, and back to Wally and Cisco, "I... what happened?"

"We can get through this," said Wally, "Iris, you're a meta-human, and..."

"And... and I killed them?" asked a terrified Iris as she stared at Wally with tears welling in her eyes, "I killed them? Wally? Did I.. did do anything to hurt them?"

"Ir..."

"Oh dear God," whimpered Iris as she stared at Caitlin and then at Dr. McGee, "what have I done, What have I done?"

"This isn't right," whispered Cisco as he stood protectively in front of Caitlin who was still unconscious but breathing. He saw Iris shaking her head as she stared at the dead Dr. McGee, and then placed her hands over her eyes.

Cisco saw her shoulders trembling as a sob escaped her lips while Wally was comforting her, telling her that she had no control over what happened and that they would be able to 'figure things out'.

"Right, Cisco?" asked Wally as he looked over at the long-haired young man while moved to hug her brother as she openly sobbed. Iris's back was to Cisco while Wally stared at him questioningly for an answer.

"Yeah," Cisco whispered as Wally narrowed his eyes upon seeing him taking off his chain off his neck. Wally watched the scientist then wrapped it around his fist while creeping forward just as Iris' sobs suddenly stopped. Wally didn't see the smile appear on Iris' human face while she held him tight. She was staring at his jugular vein while hearing his heart race. Iris heard Cisco's shoes coming closer, she heard his heart racing, and a grin appeared on her face.

She had pulled off what everyone wanted her to be. The damsel in distress. Iris 'vamped out' just as a shiver went up Wally's spine. He was holding onto his sister tight just as she bit into his neck. Wally gasped as his mind burned while his sister clamped down tight and started to drink his blood. Cisco rushed behind Wally as he struggled to keep standing while trying to push off Iris. Once he and Iris were face to face, Cisco watched in horror as Iris had her eyes closed while releasing a moan as she drank Wally's blood.

He knew it had to stop; the impossible had to stop. Cisco then raised his hand, and held out the cross hanging in his fist and yelled, "Iris!"

Iris opened her eyes and stared at the cross. She then immediately pulled away with a hiss, but not before throwing Wally to a side wall hard. He hit the wall with a thud, and then fell on the floor significantly weakened. He tried to slowly get up as Iris screamed in pain as he approached her until he was standing protectively in front of the dazed Wally.

"I thought Barry was the impossible," Cisco panted as he stared at Iris who was keeping her distance, "and now..."

"I am immortal, Cisco," she snarled before a smile appeared on her face, "Cisco and Team Flash. You; re so used to thinking that I'm the weak one. The one who needs help. The one always in trouble. I mean look what just happened."

"He thought you were his sister," said a worried Cisco after Iris mocked Wally for believing her act. "But you're not, are you?"

"I am Iris West, Cisco," she said, "just better improved." Iris then fought the pain going through her body because of the cross Cisco was holding. She used her determination to push through, and then grab his outstretched arm before pivoting. She then flung him, cross and all, towards a wall which he hit with a thud and then fell on a table. Cisco then rolled off the table and fell onto the floor facing Iris and Wally while lying on his side. who wasn't sure about what he could do.

He had hoped to stall Iris so that Thea and Laurel could capture her. But he failed.

Iris then walked calmly towards Wally, who was starting to get up onto his shaking feet. Iris smiled when she noticed the dazed look he was giving her. She then gave the young man an uppercut that slammed him back against the wall.

"Hit me, Wally," Iris mocked as she dashed forward and tore his mask off. She then punched him again. And then again, and again, while Wally could only stand there. He couldn't hit his sister, no matter how much he wanted to since he was feeling weakened from the loss of blood. So he tried to push her away using his speed, but Iris anticipated his move and smiled at the resulting howl of pain from Wally after she used her new found strength and broke his knee caps. The man then fell onto the floor in pain as she looked down.

Iris then growled before getting down on one knee and rolled his body until he was lying on his back, looking up at her. Wally then tried to push her away, but she grabbed his wrists and then held them down by his side while she straddled him.

"Iris," he whispered while trying to use his legs to somehow push her off him. But when he tried to move his legs, pain ripped through his body and he yelled out in pain thanks to his broken knee caps.

Panting from the pain, and praying that his powers would heal the wound quickly, he stared at the yellow eyes looking back down at him. This was his sister, he had been thinking to himself all this while, and he couldn't hit her. He had to hope that the Iris he knew was in there somewhere, but it was that hesitation that brought him to his current situation.

"Stop, this isn't you."

"Shhhh, little brother," Iris cooed as she leaned forward while looking down into his eyes, "come join me for all eternity. my Dark Flash, my Death Racer." Wally then saw the evil smile on her face before she leaned down further towards his neck. He tried to vibrate his body, but it was too late as her fangs clamped down on his neck.

In the meantime, Cisco was trying not to close his heavy eyelids as he watched Iris feeding on Wally. She was releasing a moan while her hands were firmly grasped around Wally's wrists. She then pulled back and gasped before looking over at Cisco.

"Tasty," she hissed before cutting her wrists. Cisco watched in horror as she fed her blood to Wally. Cisco raised his hand, even though his whole body was in pain, and remembered the power he used to push Laurel away the day he and the others stopped the Meta-pocalypse. He listened to Iris moan with her eyes closed while as Wally drank her blood while blood still dribbled down the sides of her mouth.

"No," he weakly said before Iris slammed her brother's head into the floor and then slowly got up. She then turned and walked towards Cisco while saying that she was still hungry.

"Pretending to be the goody-goody Iris West is tiring, Cisco," she snarled, "I'm still…"

"Cisco!" yelled Thea as Iris snarled at Cisco while hearing the footsteps running towards them from the hallway.

"Caitlin!" yelled Laurel as they ran as fast as they could with Joe close behind them.

"The Cavalry has arrived, huh, Cisco? Now, you and everyone else will watch as this world falls into a deep hell," mocked Iris before she ran into the hallway, and then ran as fast as she could away from the footsteps that were reverberating in the hallway. Cisco was able to make out Caitlin was still in the hallway as his eyes grew heavy from the pain throughout his body. The young man tried to remain awake, but by the time Thea and the others rushed into the autopsy looking around in shock, his eyes were already closed.

"Iris?! Wally?! Oh God, Cisco!" Thea rushed to the unconscious Cisco and felt for a pulse while pointing Laurel in Caitlin's' direction.

Laurel immediately went to Caitlin and was relieved when she felt a pulse, but was concerned at the sight of the bite marks on her neck. She then turned around upon hearing Thea yell for Cisco, while Joe rushed to and yelled at the unconscious Wally while looking around for Iris' body. Laurel looked around at the miniature disaster area before she turned to Joe who started to sob as he cradled Wally.

"Detective?" asked Laurel while Thea rushed to Joe and felt for a pulse on Wally. Thea then looked back at Laurel and shook her head. Thea then lay a hand gently on Joe's shoulder while Laurel rushed to Dr. McGee and confirmed she was dead. She then looked around and locked her jaw before asking a very obvious question.

"Where's Iris?"

Joe looked up and around, and yelled "Iris!" before looking at Thea. She then frowned while looking back down at the unconscious Cisco and wondered if there was someone, a metahuman, who came in and stole Iris' body. She then looked at the doorway to the room and stood up. She told Laurel to stay with the others while she, without waiting for an answer, dashed out of the room and dashed the other way down the hallway.

Thea knew that no one had passed by them which meant that they should have taken another exit. She ran through the hallway while her arrows were held in their quiver, her bow folded away on her left thigh, and daggers were holstered to her right. She ran as fast as possible through the hallway hoping that the meta-human who attacked them was still in the building.

'You killed Wally and Iris,' Thea thought to herself as her heart raced. She then heard a loud 'Bing!' at the end of the hallway. Grabbing her bow, and then extending it, Thea continued running and then heard the elevator doors opening as she turned into a corner and saw a figure, her back to Thea, with a blanket wrapped around her body.

"Hey! Don't move!" yelled Thea as she took an arrow out, and then drew back her bow, aiming it at the woman's back, "stop! Where's Iris West and…. No…" Thea recognized the woman as she lowered the bow while her head was shaking, heart was racing, and her eyes narrowed in confusion. She recognized the hair cut as the figure looked back over her shoulders with a smile while she stepped into the elevator before turning around. She pressed her hand into the elevator door so that it wouldn't shut on her. Thea was in disbelief as she watched Iris, the same woman who was confirmed dead, smiling back at her with a tilted head. "Iris?"

"Thea," Iris said looking her up and down, "Red Arrow, Green Arrow… ummm… wasn't there another one of you? What's his name? Barry told me about him, and…"

"How.. how are you alive?" Thea asked, her voice shaking.

"Who ever said that I'm alive" asked Iris as she vamped out, and snarled at Thea who took a step back and, her league of Assassins training coming in, raised her bow at Iris who stepped back into the elevator. "Don't worry, you and the others will be alive to see the world you know fall."

"Iris, I don't know what's going on, but…."

"I'm no longer standing on the side while watching you, your brother, Felicity, Barry, Wally, my dad, Cisco, and Caitlin save the world… oh no, I'm going to…."

"Thea!" yelled Joe.

"Joe! No!" yelled Thea as Joe came around the corner with his gun up and aimed it at the vamped out Iris. He stared at her with eyes wide open as he lowered the weapon down slowly, his arms trembling just as Laurel ran into the lobby and stared in surprise at the figure holding the elevator.

"I.. Iris?" Joe's voice cracked as he called out his daughter, "Iris?"

"Oh dear God," Laurel whispered as she stood next to Joe, her face was pale as a chill ran up and own her spine up on seeing the yellow eyes looking back at them, and then they saw the dried blood on her lips. Joe stumbled back while placing a hand n his forehead and shaking his head in disbelief at what he was seeing. Laurel rushed to him and held his hand while Iris started to laugh.

"Iris," Joe begged as tears gathered in his eyes, "what… what have…"

"It's not your time yet, dad," Iris said before looking at Thea and Laurel, "you can stop me now, or you can save Cisco and Caitlin. I don't know when Wally would turn. So, I recommend putting him into the cell you put the fake Jay into when he introduced himself to us. You see, with his speed, he'll kill all of you because… well… he'll be so hungry. The cell is your only protection from him. And I want you alive to see me bring your world crashing down."

"Iris," Thea shook her head, "we can help you… this…"

"I don't want your help," the vampire said as the doors closed. Everyone was in shock, even after the door closed at seeing what happened to Iris. It was a few seconds later that everyone snapped out of their shock, with Thea barking orders at Laurel and Joe.

"I don't know what happened, but if Wally… if Wally… Joe, I need you to get.."

"Iris," he whispered staring at the elevator.

"Joe, get Wally into that cell Iris talked about," Thea ordered before she headed for the stairs that led to the main lobby several floors up, "I'll get Iris. Now go!"

While a stunned Laurel led a stunned Joe away from the elevator lobby, Thea was running up the stairs as her blood stared to feel cold and a chill ran up her spine. She didn't want to believe what was going on, she didn't want to believe that Iris was really alive, 'or is she dead. But there she is. I saw the bite marks on her neck, on the other bodies in the autopsy room… I saw the blood on her lips. I saw the fangs… it was her? She was the one who killed the doc, Wally, injured Cisco and Caitlin? Which means someone or something made Iris into that.. that thing. But why?'

Panting as she reached the main floor which was covered in darkness. Thea cautiously stepped out of the stairway door, and walked out. She had her bow drawn while staring at her surrounding while her eyes began getting used to the darkness.

"Iris," she said while scanning the area with her eyes, "Iris, listen to me. I… I don't know what happened, but…."

Thea heard glass breaking in the distance. And she then ran towards the 'xrash' sound at fill stride. By the time she arrived at the shattered glass door, it was too late. Thea saw that the glass exploded outwards, and she dashed through, even stepping on some of the shards, to the outside and scanned the distance. There was no sign of Iris anywhere. And another chill went up her spine when she realized that it would be foolish to go after her alone.

Reluctantly, Thea retreated back to the interior of STAR Labs where she took out her phone. While she dialled a number, Thea knew that their first duty was to not take any chances. They had to put Wally in a cell. Even if Joe objected. And then, then they would figure out what was going on. It was just as she reached the elevator that the phone on the other line was picked up.

"Ollie, where the hell is that Constantine guy?" demanded Thea as the doors to the elevator closed.

B **arry's Apartment, Sunnydale Unknown Earth; approximately four years since Barry arrived in Sunnydale; a little over two months before Iris is turned into a vampire.**

With school already closed for the Summer, Barry finally finished his tenure at the Middle School and received a transfer to the brand-new Sunnydale High as a science teacher specialising in physics and chemistry. It was the same school that Dawn would be attending the next Fall.

Not only was there cause to celebrate his and Dawn's transfer to high school, there were other reasons for this particular day being one of celebration.

One such reason to celebrate was Willow, Tara, and Buffy would be graduating from U.C. Sunnydale later in the day; a second reason was that Buffy received a job offer just last week from the Principal of Sunnydale High, a man named Robin Wood, to serve as one of two full-time counsellors. Barry and Buffy did discuss the possibility of moving away from Sunnydale before he applied for the transfer, with Buffy saying that she was destined to remain in Sunnydale.

Barry knew that his girlfriend was slightly conflicted about staying in Sunnydale or moving away. He would have rather moved to another city with her, but when she decided to stay in Sunnydale, he decided to stay as well before he applied for a position in Sunnydale High.

As for Willow and Tara, they would be staying in Sunnydale too; the redhead accepted a position as a programmer at a large firm that moved operations to the city, and Tara would be working at Joyce's gallery. Xander was already one of the foremen working at the incomplete part of the school, the North Section. In the meantime, Anya was working with Giles in the Magic Box.

In the coming Summer though, things were going to shift for a few months with the two witches heading to Devon so they could receive further training in using their magic from a very powerful Coven. It was something that was suggested by Giles, who recognised that Willow was gaining more power and he feared the redhead's ability to control it. He believed that Tara and Willow receiving training would be beneficial for the both of them.

In addition, he used the training as an excuse to take the time during the summer to travel through the UK and visit some old friends. While they were gone, Buffy, Barry, Anya, and Xander would be the Scooby Gang… with Barry pulling duty as the Flash if some intimidation was needed.

Ever since then, the Flash started to get a reputation for aiding the Slayer.

Back to the present day in Barry;s apartment, he lay next to Buffy under their shared blanket. The Slayer was curled into the Speedster who was the one to slowly open his eyes there was a soft beeping sound coming from his cell phone; his alarm was going off. He rolled onto his back, reached for the device on the side-table and then turned it off. He placed the phone back on the table and then rolled back to snuggling with Buffy. The young woman gave a soft moan while he kissed her bare back, doing his best to avoid the few bruises that had developed from the fight she was in last night against a few demons who wanted to head into the soon to be newly opened school and then try to open the Hellmouth.

Buffy, Xander, Willow and Tara stopped the demons with Barry, as the Flash, zooming in to grab the final demon and then run all the way to an island in the South Pacific... before leaving him there. Barry then ran back leaving the enraged demon to roar out into the sky.

Back in their bedroom, Barry tightened his grasp on her bare waist and continued to give soft kisses on her shoulder before going down to her neck. With a smile, he then whispered into her ear that it was time to wake up.

"Wanna sleep," she mumbled while placing a hand on top of Barry's hand. She gently squeezed it and shimmied back while he pulled her in tight, "tired."

"Today is your big day," Barry whispered before planting a kiss on the developing bruise on her shoulder, and then whispering into her ear once again, "and Tara's big day, and Willow's big day too."

"It's Eight in the morning," she mumbled, "the ceremony's not until two in the afternoon."

"Oh, that I know," Barry said with a smirk as Buffy, scrunching her face in pain, thanks to her body still aching from the fight last night, while she shifted and then rolled to her back. She then pouted her lips while staring at Barry through groggy eyes.

Barry then gave a small smile as Buffy closed her eyes again, opening them slightly after a few seconds, "it's a great day out. And yes, I know you came back late last night, and yes I know you want to sleep, but…"

"But?" asked Buffy before she yawned while her arms lay under the blanket in the cool room. She then stared expectantly at Barry while her blanket was pulled up to her chin.

"But, Joyce did say she wanted a breakfast jamboree to celebrate your graduation," Barry whispered, "and if you're not up? Well, she did tell me that Dawn and Xander would finish all the food."

Buffy chuckled before she stretched her arms over her head and yawned. Barry just stared at her while he lay sideways and smiled as she lowered her arms onto the blanket. She stared at Barry and smirked before asking, "what are you thinking about?"

"Just that it's hard to believe it's been a little more than four years," Barry whispered. Buffy then flipped to her side, the blanket still covering her and Barry, and held his hand. They stared at each other silently for a few seconds before Buffy said that she enjoyed the last four years too.

"I sometimes wonder what would have happened if you were never here," Buffy continued as she stared into his eyes, "but then I tell myself that it doesn't matter. I think… no, I know having you in my life after everything with Riley and Angel is the best thing that happened to me. I know this is going to sound a little weird, but with them… with Angel and Riley? It's like… well… it's like I was raw cookie dough."

"Cookie dough?" asked Barry as he raised an eyebrow.

"It's an analogy," chuckled Buffy as she pulled Barry closer and held him tight while still staring into his eyes, "with you? I feel as if I'm at the part where I'm nearly done. You know… when I'm supposed to rest so that I could be crunchy and yummy, and…"

"Well, you are kinda yummy," said Barry before laughing as Buffy slapped his arm, and then drew him in for a kiss. A few seconds later, Buffy pulled back while still staring at him and whispered that she loved him.

"With you, I feel complete. With you I feel open, Barry," Buffy whispered, "I feel that I fight demons, I'm fighting so that I can come home to you. I want to win the fight so that you and I could be there for each other; so that we could continue being with each other. I…"

"And I love you too," said Barry as he leaned in and kissed Buffy passionately once again. He never thought it was possible before; but being in Sunnydale with Buffy, with Dawn, Giles, Joyce, and the others - the connections he had made, he didn't want to give them up. As he kissed down to her cheek from her lips, Barry continued to her ear as he shifted himself over her, where he whispered that she brought out the best in him as well. He told her that she and her family was the reason he wanted to stay in Sunnydale, "I don't want to leave."

And he meant it.

He brushed her left cheek with the edge of his fingers before he leaned down and went back to kissing her passionately.

"I love you, Buffy," Barry whispered after he pulled back and stared into her eyes while the both of them panted.

"I love you too," she replied before pulling him back down, and the both of them locked their lips together.

It would be later that day that Barry and the Summers family, as well as the Rosenberg's, Xander, and the other Scoobies, would be laughing and taking pictures at the graduation ceremony. With Tara being the only one among the group whose parents were not at the ceremony, Joyce and Willow were constantly holding onto her hand.

When it came time for the three young women to walk the stage, Barry and the Scoobies were cheering them on, trying to be the loudest voices in an auditorium that was already filled with loud and boisterous people. The entire day was filled with celebrations, except for a few hours late into the day when Barry had to stop a shooting in Los Angeles, taking a few of the injured to hospitals, and then returning to the Summers house where the celebration was ongoing. And at night, it was Buffy's turn to stop several devotees of a demonic spider from releasing the creature's offspring.

Barry chuckled when Buffy returned home covered in black goo after having killed the spiders and shuddered when she hugged him in revenge; the stench filled and sticky goo getting on him as well.

**The Magic Box, Sunnydale, Unknown Earth; approximately five years since Barry arrived in Sunnydale; a little over an hour after Iris was turned into a vampire.**

Barry was extremely nervous as he walked into the Magic Box. Stepping into the shop, he kept on touching the small box in his trouser pocket. The very same box he picked up thirty minutes earlier since he was on his lunch break. He had to 'rain-check' his standing lunch date with Buffy to buy the contents of the box, and then head to the Magic Box.

The door closing behind him, Barry saw Giles behind the counter cashing a couple out while Anya walked out into the back office. He felt sorry for the ex-vengeance demon, especially since the planned wedding between her and Xander was cancelled at the last moment six months ago. To Barry it seemed fast, Xander had proposed to Anya a year ago, and six months later he walked out on Anya at the alter.

**Sunnydale Convention hall, six months ago.**

It was all because a man who Anya had 'punished' in her capacity as a vengeance demon a long time ago, returned to show Xander a fake future; a fake that seemed very real to the young man.

And the man got his vengeance by punishing Anya.

While Buffy stopped the man, who turned into a demon, from harming Anya... the damage was already done. Following Buffy's order, Barry ran around the city searching for Xander. In his capacity as the best man, he knew he had made a catastrophic mistake by not being by his side when he had seemed sick before heading back to his room. In two minutes, after Barry found Xander sitting on a bench in heavy rain, Buffy killed the demon.

Once the demon was dead, Buffy distracted the guests with jokes and juggling while they waited for Xander to return.

Back in the present day, Barry walked towards Giles at the counter while recalling that day. Xander told Barry, the both of them getting wet in the rain, that he made a mistake in marrying Anya.

"A big mistake. Barry, I don't think I can do this," Xander whispered as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees as the temperature dropped and a cold wind went through the street they were in as rain pounded down from the cloud covered heavens. Barry knew that Xander had worries and doubts.

In fact, he noticed Xander's expressions whenever they'd joke about the wedding, or what Xander's life was going to be like with Anya. Barry brought up his concerns within the first month of the engagement announcement. But Xander dismissed them, telling Barry that he was simply seeing things.

"You sure?" asked Barry at that time.

"D'uh," Xander said nodding his head, "I love her, man. It's not like I'm going to run out on her or something." He then chuckled before offering Barry a list of things he'd like for the Bachelor Party. Back in the present day, Barry felt sorry for the broken Xander sitting in front of him. He took a step forward with the rain soaking into their tuxedo's, and asked what happened to make him run from the wedding.

Barry listened as Xander told him about his past. The Speedster listened as Xander told him in a hushed voice about the pain he suffered at the hands of his father, and his mother's constant excusing away of his father's actions He stared at the ground while he told Barry that the demon showed him a future where he would hurt Anya and their children.

"But that was all fake, Xander," Barry explained as he crouched down.

"It was real to me, Barry," he whispered shaking his head, "I felt the pain I caused. I felt the cast iron pan in my hand, I felt smashing the pan into her face. I felt hate, Barry." Barry took in a deep breath as he listened to Xander explain what he saw while placing a hand on his shoulder, "she left me… it may not have been the real future, Barry, but for me… for me it was."

"Does Anya know about….."

"She's seen my parents argue," whispered Xander, "you were there at the rehearsal dinner, Barry. You saw my parents… my family."

Barry nodded his head as he recalled the rehearsal dinner from two days ago where he caught site of Xander's father nearly about to hit his mother. Barry was about to intervene when the slap stopped mid-way when Mrs. Harris skulked back on her seat. He also remembered how drunk they got, ending with Xander's father throwing up in Buffy's purse.

"But Anya doesn't know about… what happened before I met her, only Willow knows," Xander whispered. "How could I tell…" Xander then shook her head as he took in a deep breath while fiddling with is fingers. He then looked at Barry and whispered with a broken heart, "I can't marry her Barry. I love her too much to cause her pain and… and I can't marry her."

"Ever?"

"Barry," said an exasperated Xander looking at him, "how can I? I can still feel her blood on my hands. I can still see her bleeding on the floor after I.. I killed her. How can I still marry her?"

"Talk to her, Xander," Barry gently said, "maybe it's time you and she really did talk. I know you guys have been together for a very long time, and… and this fake future made you see things that you tried to deny, and…"

"I didn't…"

"You did deny it," Barry sternly said before he sighed and whispered gently, "I tried to tell you that you seemed worried. I notice these small things, I have to. I'm not saying you don't love her, but what you saw was that demon guy pulling your fears and doubts out… and making them into a fake future."

"I can't go ahead with the wedding," Xander whispered shaking his head, "I can't… I…"

"I'm not saying that you marry her now," Barry said gently, believing that pushing Xander right now to marry Anya would be the wrong thing to do. Even though Buffy, who told him to search for Xander, would kill him for even suggesting a postponement. "But you need to talk to her what you told me. And that can only come from you. Postpone the wedding, have it when you and Anya feel comfortable. But you have to talk to her, Xander. She'll be heartbroken, and mad at you for a little while… but if you tell her why then she'll understand."

**The Magic Box, Sunnydale, now.**

Back in the present day, it's been six months since that day. As Barry walked up to the counter, he remembered Anya's anger at Xander. She was so mad that she was on non-speaking terms with him for a week. In the meantime, Buffy explained what happened to Willow, who then explained everything to Buffy and the others.

It would be a few days later that Buffy and then others had a sit-down with Anya. Barry didn't know what they said, Buffy wouldn't tell him anything, but a few days later the couple were on speaking terms again.

Barry was also very, very glad that Buffy wasn't mad at him. Although she did make him sleep on the couch for not being a better best man, and the next day they were sleeping together once again.

Since their reconciliation, it was as if Xander and Anya were re-starting their relationship from the beginning once again. Back in the present day at the Magic Box, Barry reached the counter just as Anya walked out of the back-office.

She waved at Barry, and he waved back at her.

"Giles," Barry said when Anya was with a couple of customers, and once Giles had finished cashing out another customer, "could we talk? It's kind of urgent."

Giles nodded his head before asking him to the training area in the back of the store. Barry followed him and then closed the door behind him once they were in the room. Barry then put his hands in his pockets while Giles turned around and asked him if everything was alright.

"Listen," said Barry after taking a deep breath, "I know that Buffy's dad's not in the picture, and…"

"No, he is not," Giles said as he fixed his glasses while wondering why Barry was asking about Hank Summers, "the last I heard about him was when we were questioning the possibility of sending Dawn away during the Glory incident. Buffy said that he was married to his secretary and was on his honeymoon. He didn't even invite Buffy and Dawn to the wedding, just gave them a call that he was married. He is a very… odd man."

Giles then looked at the nervousness etched on Barry's face before asking him once again if everything was alright.

"Buffy told me that you're as close to a father as, well, her father. I mean... I mean she loves you and thinks the world of you, and..." Barry nervously trailed off while Giles chuckled before taking off his glasses and nodding his head. He was wondering what Barry was getting at when he continued to speak, "and you care about her. You care about her, Joyce, and Dawn."

"I do," Giles said nodding his head, "Barry, what's…"

"I care about them too," Barry continued, "I care about Buffy. I love Buffy."

"You have been a stabilising influence on her personal life, and her life as a Slayer," Giles noted while nodding his head, "and yes, I am very well aware of the love you have for each other."

"I want you to know that even if Cisco and the others find me, I'm planning on staying here," said Barry as Giles smiled and nodded his head, "and.. and I love Buffy, and… ok… I think I lost my train of thought and…"

"Barry?" asked Giles.

"Giles," Barry said before taking a deep breath, "I'm not leaving, and that;s because I'm in love with Buffy. And we've been together now for about four years and… and I'm still in love with her."

"Okay... and..."

"During Xander and Anya's non-wedding," said Barry as he nervously stared at Giles' face, "and even before that. I mean, up until the wedding... I mean after Xander and Anya announced..."

"Barry?" asked Giles as his heart raced while he tried to guess at what Barry wanted to tell him.

"We talked, I mean we kinda talked about what we wanted when we were kids," Barry interrupted Giles before he could say anything. The younger man nervously paced the floor in front of Giles, who tilted his head while listening, "she dreamed of a big church wedding when she was a kid, and she still wants a big church wedding. She wanted to go to Paris for her honeymoon when she was a kid, and... and now she doesn't know where she wants to go. She just wants to be somewhere with the people she loves. We talked about a lot of things, Giles. I want to give her what she wants, I want to give her everything she'd ever want."

Giles looked on as Barry stopped pacing and look right into his eyes while he reached into his trouser pockets and took out a red coloured box, "Barry? Is that…"

"I want to ask for your blessing," Barry said as he opened the top of the box and showed him the ring. Barry then gulped before asking his question once again from the beginning, "I love her and… and I hope you'd give your blessing for me to ask her to marry me."

TBC.

 


	21. Chapter 21

**STAR Labs, a few seconds ago.**

The First watched it all unfold with a sneer on its lips; at least the lips of the form of Iris it had taken while remaining unnoticed by the others in the autopsy room. It watched Iris kill and then feed Wally her blood before smashing his head onto the floor. It watched as Iris then prepared to attack Cisco before escaping just as the cavalry in the form of Joe, Laurel, and Thea arrived.

The First kept on eyeing Iris as she broke into a boutique that closed its doors since it was the end of business. She killed three guards and then took off the blanket that covered her before searching for new clothes. The First had her memories and feelings; they were of being pushed aside to the sidelines so that Iris would be protected. There were the light-hearted memories, as well as memories of sadness and despair. But those were the memories of Iris West. The being that the Frist was watching as she put on a pair of tight leather trouser was darkness, a demon with nothing holding her back.

A demon that brought out the anger in Iris… an anger caused by her feelings of being forced to be the good girl. The weak and good girl.

The First watched Iris put on a shirt and then a leather jacket before standing in front of a mirror. Unfortunately, there was no reflection of the young woman. But Iris still did a turn in front of the mirror before leaving the store and heading back to STAR labs to wait for her brother to awaken as a demon.

While Iris was on the way back to STAR Labs, the First travelled to Star City where it appeared in the Arrow cave. The First took on the visage of Moira Queen where it watched the Green Arrow talking on the phone with Thea. The First smiled at the distress on the Green Arrow's face as he sat down, his shoulders hunched forward while a hand covered his mouth.

The First remained unseen as it felt stronger by the sheer anguish from Felicity and Diggle who were in the main room sitting behind a console surrounded by weapons and the costumes of Green Arrow, Sentinel, and the new team members of Team Arrow; Wildog, Artemis, Ragman, and with Laurel's blessing; the new Black Canary.

They had just returned to lick their wounds from another battle against a new enemy known as Prometheus, who got away. A few minutes after returning to the Arrow cave following their defeat, Oliver received the call from Thea about Constantine. It was then he was told about what happened at STAR Labs. The First smirked as Felicity grabbed the phone and asked in a cracked voice, while Oliver was shaking his head in stunned silence if what she heard over the phone was true.

"Oh God," Felicity said with eyes wide open once she heard that Wally and Iris were dead. She then placed the call on speakerphone so that everyone could hear that Iris had become what could only be described as a vampire. Everyone, even the new members of Team Arrow, listened in stunned silence upon hearing that it was Iris who killed Wally.

"He didn't have a pulse," Thea said over the phone while the stunned Joe was carrying his son away from the autopsy room after being convinced to do so by Laurel. Thea's voice cracked for a little bit as she walked alongside Joe, "there are two marks on his neck and… and Ollie, I… I think this is bad. Iris… or whatever… I mean whatever she…"

"It's not Iris," whispered Joe, a voice that all of them could hear over the speakerphone.

"Whatever this is? Whatever has taken control of Iris? It's taken full control. I've never seen this before, Ollie," Thea said, "we need that Constantine guy. I don't care how you get him but… but Iris said that Wally is the key. He'll bring down the world. I don't know how or… or… Oh God."

"Thea," Diggle, in disbelief, said, "could this be a virus? ARGUS has records of virus' that emulate vampirism. It replicates death and gives the host a craving for blood."

"Does it change the facial features?" asked Thea as they continued through the hallway.

"No, but…"

"We've taken Wally's blood for Caitlin to examine after she regains consciousness," Thea said, "but this whole situation…. I mean it's weird. Weirder than anything we've gone up against. And that's including Genesis Day and the League."

"I'll contact Constantine again," Oliver said picking up the phone off the table. Just hang on, Thea… I'll call Constantine again. And… and tell Joe that we're… we're so sorry."

"I will," Thea said before the phone line was cut off. The First enjoyed the looks of anguish on the faces of the three original members of Team Arrow.

Just as Oliver started dialling for Constantine, the First returned to a large subterranean cavern in the outskirts of Central City.

**Two miles outside Central City.**

The First appeared to the left of fifty-two haggard old men in blackened cloaks made from human skin, frayed at the edges, with hoods that covered their faces. The First stared at the symbols they were sitting around while the cavern itself was lit by black candles that gave off a red oloured flame. The light from the flames danced on the walls of the cavern, giving it an eerie glow while the fifty-two beings chanted in an ancient and long dead language.

"I can sense Iris West returning to the place known as STAR Labs," the Master said as he walked out of a tunnel that led to another network of tunnels that led tothe surface, "when will we gather the one you call Cisco Ramone?"

"In due time," the First said as it looked at the Master in Iris' form, "I want them to suffer, I want them to see that Iris West is dead and gone before she causes the entire world to Fall. She and Wally will build you your army, and then we will gather Cisco. And then?"

"Then we will go to my world, and I will feed on the blood of the Slayer."

"And I will tip the balance to evil," the First said taking on BUffy's form, "the destruction of the Slayer Line will enable me to finally gain physical form and take control of every man, woman, and child everywhere."

The First smiled at the plan it put into motion ever since Barry arrived in Sunnydale. Iris and Kid Flash were a big part of its plan. Wally would be responsible for the creation of a vast planetary army of vampires that would rival the one growing in strength under the Hellmouth in Sunnydale. It just needed a little more time for the Hellmouth beneath central City to grow enough that the First would command the Brujeria, the three haggard men, to bring forth the essences of more of Buffy's greatest enemies and reconstitute them; just like they had done with the Master.

"Adam, the Judge, and Glory," said the First in Buffy's visage, "all have a history with the Slayer. And all will subdue the ones who survive to resist on this Earth. Once my army in Sunnydale is prepared, I will prepare the attack. Then, and only when the Hellmouth beneath Central City has opened enough, will we capture Cisco Ramone. Only then will the Slayer line be extinguished from all time, and I will gain my physical form."

The First then smirked before saying, "then all of reality will give in to evil. The greatest of the good will murder with abandon. The evilest of evil will outdo themselves in the eyes of those who tremble in fear. Parents will murder their children and children will murder their parents… and I will watch, and feed their evil."

"For the rising dark has come," the fifty-two haggard men chanted.

The Master managed a sneer as the First then vanished.

**STAR Labs, forty-five minutes later.**

'Caitlin's injured and is unconscious, Cisco's unconscious and Dr. McGee is dead,' thought Joe to himself.

The Detective felt alone.

Two of his team were down for the count, and another one had lost her life.

Joe already knew loss; he experienced loss when he lost his wife to a wasting disease more than a year ago. He then lost his adoptive son ten months ago. Then he lost his daughter earlier that very night. She died, and then suddenly regained consciousness with a literal new look, and was now out in the city somewhere.

And now, he lost his biological son.

Joe felt alone. He felt a deep anger at how his family was being affected. At the same time, he felt cold as he sat on a chair at the entrance to the pipeline while Thea and Laurel were tending to Caitlin and Cisco. He had already helped in placing Dr. McGee's body into the morgue, but not before placing Wally's dead body into the cell in front of him.

All Joe heard, as Wally's body was being placed in the cell, were words combined with bits of gibberish; at least what he thought was gibberish. His thoughts were on the dead Dr. McGee, and on his daughter, and his sons. His mind was so occupied with grief that he was tuning out what Thea and Laurel had been saying. Back at the entrance, Joe's shoulders hunched over as he stared at Wally sleeping in his cell. The very cell that was made for the fake Harrison Wells after he was revealed to be the Reverse Flash.

As Joe placed his elbows on his knees after he leaned forward and then cradled his forehead in the palm of his hands, he felt a chill up and down his spine when he remembered Iris. He tried to remember the Iris that he knew- his little girl- but the only one that popped into his mind was the Iris who escaped. The Vampire. The one who killed her own brother.

Joe was still getting his mind around the fact that his own daughter killed her brother.

He tried to keep the tears away. He tried to keep the lump in his throat away.

But Joe was unsuccessful in both as the dam broke and tears streamed down his cheeks. They fell onto the floor as he released a sob. Joe wanted to scream out loud in the pipeline. As his shoulders trembled, Joe felt a hand gently touch down on his shoulder. Not wanting to see whoever it was the hand belonged to, he turned his head away and wiped his eyes before hanging his head again.

"Joe," Laurel whispered as she stood next to him. She stared at the back of his head, then at his trembling shoulders, and back up at the cell where Wally was lying on the floor in his Kid Flash uniform, "I… I don't know what to say."

She looked back down with a feeling of sadness as she thought about the losses the man next to her suffered in the space of a few hours. Laurel had seen the movies on her Earth when she was a child, she had even seen the shows, about vampires and the supernatural. She had experienced the supernatural back in her own Earth and she heard Thea and Oliver had their own encounters with the supernatural in regards to their face-off with Darhk. But this was different.

She could feel evil around her as she stared at Wally's unmoving body. She didn't even see him breathing. There were no tell-tale signs that he was alive in any way.

'Just like Iris.'

Laurel then turned her head over her shoulders upon hearing footsteps in the hallway leading to the pipeline.

"Caitlin and Cisco are going to be alright," Thea said as she walked into the lobby outside the pipeline and walked up to the entrance, "Caitlin has the bite marks on her neck, but she's alive. She and Cisco need some rest, but… but Iris and…"

Thea then glanced at Joe, and then at Laurel who looked back at her in sadness. The archer then turned her head and glared at Wally before saying that they were absolutely sure that Iris was dead when she came in earlier that night. "there was no breathing, no heartbeat, and…"

"Thea," Laurel said shaking her head before she nodded at Joe, "this isn't…"

Thea knew that this wasn't the time to bring up what happened to Wally and Iris to Joe, but she needed him to snap out of his depression. Thea knew that they had already lost Barry somewhere, that he was missing; and now they were down Iris, Kid-Flash, Dr. McGee, Caitlin, and Cisco; the latter two only temporarily out of commission.

Thea stared at the cell before looking down at Joe, and immediately hating herself for what she was about to do. Thea walked around Joe until she was standing in front of him while Laurel, who guessed what Thea was about to do, shook her head. Thea glanced at Laurel. She knew that Laurel did not want her to continue. And and a wave of sadness passed through Thea at remembering what Joe lost; his entire family.

"Detective," Thea said as she stood with her hands at her sides, "Joe, I need you to get up. I need you to fight. I lost my father at sea, my mother was killed right in front of me. But I still get up and fight for the both of them. Oliver still gets up and fights for the both of them, and…"

"Thea," Joe whispered shaking his head, his voice cracking, "please..."

"I want you to listen, Joe," Thea said, her heart breaking at hearing the man's voice while Laurel gently squeezed his shoulder, "I don't know any disease that can keep a person alive after an autopsy despite what Felicity and Oliver say. Iris was dead and… and so is Wally. We checked even after bringing him here. I don't know what happened to Iris, and I don't know what happened to Wally, but the blood I took from him should give Caitlin an idea after she tests it."

"After she wakes up," added Laurel gently as the despondent man stared at the floor.

"Right now, Joe," Thea said nodding her head at Laurel and crouching down until she was eye level with the older man who looked exhausted, "we need you. I talked to Oliver a few minutes ago again, and he said he's finally managed to reach an acquaintance of his who knows Constantine. Apparently, he'll be back tomorrow given the urgent situation.

Anyway, Oliver and Felicity will join us once they've taken care of some trouble. In the meantime, when Cisco gets up, we can contact Earth-Two and have Jessie here as back-up. And then we search for Iris and whoever…"

Thea stopped talking and pulled her head up staring at Laurel upon hearing soft laughter behind her. Thea watched Laurel's eyes shift to the left, behind her, while Joe pulled his head up and stared in stunned silence at Thea. He and Thea then looked at each other before he leaned sideways and Thea turned around to the sounds of laughter from Wally. The young man's shoulders were trembling as he slowly got up to his feet while keeping his head low.

"Wa… wally?" asked Joe, his heart racing as he got up from his seat, pushed the crouched Thea aside and then rushed into the cell. "Wally!?" The laughter kept on coming as the panicked Joe, seemingly having lost a sense of self, rushed to the cell while Thea got up off the floor. She and Laurel then rushed into the pipeline after Joe. The two young women caught up to Joe just as he reached the cell, and Thea pulled him back while Laurel stood in front of them as Wally raised his head and snarled with his demonic visage; the yellow eyes, the fangs, the ridges on the forehead and eyebrows, all combined to send a chill through their spines.

"Joe!" yelled Thea as she grabbed the detective's arms and shook him, "that's not Wally!"

"That's…" Joe yelled at Thea while pointing at Wally when the latter spoke while placing the palms of his hands on the glass.

"It's me, Thea." Thea turned around with her eyes wide open and stared at Wally who took on his human face, "Dad? Laurel? It's me. Just a more improved me. Open the cell, and I can show you what I see… what I feel… what I hear. Your heartbeats, your blood, and your power. Open the cell."

"No," Laurel said as she glared at Wally who stepped back while furrowing his eyes brows. They saw him looking up and down at the cell door. He the chuckled before saying that the myths were really true- that vampires had no reflection.

"We… we can find a cure for you, and…"

"I'm dead, dad," Wally said as a look of anguish was stuck on Joe's face, "I'm dead and that's fine. I felt betrayed by Iris when she tricked me.. when she killed me.."

"She didn't," yelled Joe as Thea held him back, "she didn't.. she.. she couldn't have, and…"

"She did," Wally interjected, "and now I couldn't be happier. She opened my eyes, Dad. And now? Now that there's nothing keeping the Speed Force away from me. I can feel it surging through my body." Wally then licked his lips as he took a step forward and placed his forehead on the cell door while staring at Laurel, "and I'm so hungry. Let me out, and I swear that you, Thea, Dad, Caitlin, and Cisco won't feel a thing."

"Try getting out of there," Thea said as she pulled a trembling Joe back. Wally then smiled before running back a few steps as lighting crackled on his body. He then rushed the cell door, which flashed orange from the lighting and Wally's body impacting against it before he was flung back. He fell onto the floor before quickly getting up and staring at the glowering Thea. Wally then screamed in rage as he pulled his arm back, ran, and then punched the special glass to no avail.

"It's the same cell used to hold the Reverse Flash," said Thea, "and Cisco's already told me he's faster than Barry, and I'm guessing faster than you since.. well… you couldn't break through."

Wally glared at Thea who had a smile on her face before looking over at the stunned Joe.

"Have to hand it to Iris," said Laurel staring at Wally, "she's the one who told us to keep you in here."

"If that's true, then she's got a plan," said Wally, "you should have killed me when you had the chance because… because I can sense her, and she's close by."

"Where?" asked Joe, hopeful that his children could still be given a cure, "Wally, where is she?"

"Close by," Wally said, "she'll be back. And when she is? I'll kill you all."

Joe, his face twisted in anguish as he stared at the being that he kept on telling himself was his son, took in several deep breaths while Thea and Laurel stood next to him. They heard Wally laugh before smirking as he stepped back, "she's coming soon, dad. And when she lets me out, the both of us are going to have fun."

"Wal…"

"You wanted me and Iris to have something in common, dad," Wally said before stifling a laugh. He laughed out loud a few seconds later while saying, "and we do have this in common. We're both vampires."

Joe could only look away in sadness as Thea slowly turned him around and then led him away. Wally laughed out loud as Laurel took one last look at him before turning around as well. They walked into the main building with Laurel, her back to Wally, pressing her hand on the palm scanner. She stared at the palm scanner… that\s how much Joe and the others trusted her even after what she did. She watched the scanner flash as Thea held onto Joe, and silently apologised for not being able to repay their trust… for not being able to repay Joe's trust in helping to protect his children. She then turned around and stared at Wally as the thick door slid down.

**STAR Labs, 20 minutes later.**

Iris wiped the sides of her mouth with the back of her hands. She then looked at the blood, and then licked it off before looking back out at the hulking STAR Labs building. She was in the shadows of several buildings in a white shirt, black leather pants and a leather jacket. She could sense the Master waiting for her, but Iris needed to get her brother out first.

He was the key.

Iris walked in her shoes towards the main street, beyond which was a fence, beyond which was the parking lot that led to the STAR Labs building. Iris ran all the way to the boutique after she escaped without feeling any exhaustion. The woman killed without any feeling, stole without any regret. Iris felt more alive than when she was alive; so now, with a smirk on her face, Iris ran past several cars that lined the street. She jumped over one that nearly hit her as she crossed, landing on the pavement where she crouched down with a smile before she ran at the fence. She jumped over the sign, her body twisting in the air before landing on her feet.

'As yes, mysterious gymnastics abilities,' Iris thought to herself.

And she didn't lose a breath.

'I'm not even breathing,' Iris thought as she ran as fast as she could through the parking lot while glancing up at the cameras. She wondered if the Laurel, her dad, and Thea even knew that she was on the way. Her jacket fluttering behind her, Iris made it to the glass window she had broken earlier that night and rushed into the building. She then ran towards the stairwell, fully aware that the remaining Team Flash could be monitoring the elevators. She knew that they could stop the elevator car, 'even when I'm going down the stairs, they could see me on the monitors. Wonder what's the likelihood of that. Only three of them remain, Dad's probably gone out of his mind, and then there's Laurel and Thea. I'll see about them, and…'

It took a few minutes of dashing down the stairs but once Iris reached the door to the hallway leading to the Pipeline, she stopped in her tracks. And then a smile formed on her face.

'So, you were watching,' Iris thought to herself as she looked up at the camera. The alarms in the Cortex, where the three of them were situated had gone off after it detected movement. Unknown to Iris, Laurel and Thea were there while Joe was lying on a bed in the med lab located in the Cortex itself. Upon checking the monitors, Thea saw that Iris was running towards the building in the parking lot. And it was then that she and Laurel moved out, but not before telling Joe to stay where he was. The older man then was about to say something, but it was Thea who sternly told him to stay put.

Back in the stairwell, Iris grabbed the door handle while hearing two sets of heartbeats, and two distinct scents. She was smelling both Thea and Laurel. She then pushed the handle down and opened the door to reveal Thea with her bow drawn, an arrow ready to be fired. And Laurel was staring at her while leaning forward slightly. Iris saw that Laurel's right foot was in front of the other while hearing her heart racing as sweat trickled down the sides of her face. Iris then smirked before raising her hands.

"Hi Laurel, Thea," Iris said playfully as Thea and Laurel remained silent. Iris tilted her head, the smile still plastered on her face, "nothing to say? I take it that Wally's turned? You don't have to hide him, you know. I can sense him."

"You killed Dr. McGee," said Thea while Iris stared at her, "you hurt Cisco, Caitlin, and you killed your own brother… and that hurt Joe."

"Awww… is daddy upset?" Iris pouted her lips as she put her hands down before vamping out, "no time for small talk anymore. Either you kill me or…"

Iris sidestepped an arrow that only just missed her. She stared at the arrow as it made a 'clang' sound against the door and then fell on the floor. She then turned back to Thea who drew back her bow with another arrow. "That one, I missed on purpose, Iris. The next one is going right through your heart. I don't know what happened to you, or if the myths about what you…"

"Vampire," said Iris as she turned her body and grabbed the handle of the door. Just as she pulled the door open, and then tore the door off its hinges, Laurel drew a deep breath and screamed. Laurel's hair fluttered back as Thea, wincing slightly from the scream, watched as Iris cried out in pain as she dropped the door… the steel door… and covered her ears. Iris was on her knees as Laurel screamed again. This time the Vampire was crying out louder as her ears bled thanks to her enhanced hearing. Thea wanted to tell Laurel to stop, she could hear the woman in front of them begging for help as if she was Iris herself.

'But it's not Iris, not the one I know anyway,' Thea thought to herself as she watched Iris, on her knees, close her eyes tight in pain. Blood was dripping down the sides of Iris' hands and through her fingers, from her ears. Laurel stopped screaming and was prepared to scream once again when there was a roar as Iris looked up at them with pure evil in her eyes.

Thea took a deep breath and fired an arrow straight and true as Iris growled and stood up staring at Laurel. The arrow penetrated Iris' chest but nothing happened except for the young woman stepping back. Iris looked at the arrow, and then Laurel screamed once again. Thea fired off another arrow that hit Iris in the chest, and then another one, followed by another one as the vampire got on her knees.

It was Lauren's scream that forced Joe to get up off the bed, and then pick up his weapon, before rushing out the Cortex. It was the same scream that Wally, with his heightened sense of hearing, heard as he punched the glass cell hundreds of times in a few seconds. He could only think about the pain that Iris had to be in as he increased his speed punching. He vibrated his fists as lightning crackled all around his body while punching faster than he ever had before, combining with his newly acquired strength. Suddenly, there was a creaking sound, and after a few more punches the glass shattered. As it shattered in slow motion, Wally zoomed out of the cell, phased through the doors, and then ran up the hallway to the lobby where Laurel was screaming and Thea fired arrows at the bleeding and screaming Iris.

Wally ran up to Thea, flung her aside, and then before she could hit the wall, Wally flung Laurel to the side and stopped next to Iris before crouching down. Thea and Laurel were propelled sideways before impacting the side walls with gasps escaping their lips. Thea dropped her bow when she was flung, and it clattered on the floor. After slamming against the wall, Lauren and Thea fell onto the floor on opposite sides of the lobby with groans escaping tehir lips.

"Look at what we have here," Wally said looking at Iris who was bleeding from her ears, chest and abdomen where the arrows were sticking out. Wally grabbed the arrows sticking out of her chest and abdomen, and then pulled them out while Iris yelped out in pain. He threw them aside before looking hungrily at Laurel and Thea who were slightly dazed as they rubbed their foreheads. Wally then looked back down at Iris who was on her back and smiled before asking her why she was playing with her food.

"I came to rescue you, Wally," Iris said while she placed her hand on her bleeding chest as if nothing had happened. She then stared at the blood on her white shirt, which was quickly becoming red in colour.

"Yeah?" said Wally sarcastically looking down at his sister, "look who saved who?"

Iris then sighed while looking up at her brother. "Come on, help me up."

Wally chuckled before standing up and then reaching down with one hand. At the same time, Laurel tried to stand up while grabbing her head, but only managed to stumble back onto the ground since she felt dizzy. And it was the same with Thea who fell forward on all fours and hung her head after getting onto her knees.

"Iris.. Wally, think about.." whispered Laurel looking up at the two as they stood together.

"I'm hungry, and Iris needs to feed," Wally growled as Thea looked up at him. Everything was spinning for Thea as she stared at Wally.

He was about to walk towards them when Iris grabbed his arm. Feeling that she was going to throw-up, Thea closed her eyes and hung her head again while hearing Iris say that she wanted them alive to see the end of all things, "when everyone falls, then we kill them. Right now, we have to see the Master."

"The Master?" asked Wally with his brows furrowed in confusion.

"You'll meet him," Iris said looking at her brother, "but you need to feed. And so do I."

"Where do you…"

"I was thinking you take Jitters, and I take CCPN," said Iris with a smirk while Wally grinned, "Let's go, Wally. It's feeding time." Wally then grabbed Iris before running off; Thea heard the whoosh just as footsteps were heard behind her.

"Thea? Laurel?" Joe said just before Thea lost consciousness.

**Sunnydale, a second after Barry asked Giles' blessing.**

"Are… are you certain of this, Barry?" asked Giles as he stared at the ring, a silver circle with three small diamonds set on the surface. He then looked up at Barry who was nodding his head. Giles looked at the man, and thought about how time went by ever since he arrived in Sunnydale. Giles liked Barry, and he loved that he made Buffy happy in her personal life and as a Slayer.

Giles then thought about the very first time he met the blonde Slayer, and chuckled that the very same girl was now a young woman. Giles then took in a deep breath before he closed the top of the velvet box in his hand and handed it back to Barry.

"The both of you will have to watch out for each other, even if she says she doesn't need you to, and…"

"I'll be there for her," Barry said as he placed the box back into his pocket. "I'll be there for her Giles."

"I love her like a father would, Barry."

"I know."

"I want her to be happy, Barry. Will you keep her happy?"

"Yes," Barry said before wincing and then jokingly saying, "unless I do something stupid and then she uses her strength to beat me up… if she can catch me."

"Oh she'll have Willow and Tara find a way," Giles deadpanned while putting his hands into his pockets and staring at Barry, "and when they do? You should know that Xander and I will beat you with shovels if you hurt her."

Barry didn't know if Giles was joking or not. He continued to chuckle while rubbing the back of his head as a chill went up his spine. For a little moment there, Giles reminded the speedster of Oliver during one of his serious moods, and it frightened him. Barry then sighed, and stood shoulders back while Giles looked on curiously at Barry.

"I love her, Giles," Barry whispered, "and I'll do what I can to make her happy."

Giles could tell that Barry was serious. He gave the young man his 'Ripper Stare', a look that usually scared people off… but doubted it had any effect on the speedster. Giles knew that Barry loved Buffy, and that each made the other happy.

"Then you have my blessing," said Giles nodding his head. And Barry smiled before thanking him. He then said that he needed to go back to the school and plan for that very night.

"Oh, one more thing. Could you and Xander, and maybe Anya, patrol for tonight? Maybe give Buffy a break? I mean she'll be with me so if its anything big then you could just call and we'll be able to meet you," Giles nodded his head before Barry zoomed out, phasing through the rear door in the training room that led to the alley outside. Giles then sighed, and a smile appeared on his face as he walked through the other door leading back into the shop.

**Sunnydale High.**

Buffy just finished counselling a female student when Barry strode into the office she shared with another middle-aged woman, the senior school counsellor. He walked past the female student who then closed the door behind him. The middle-aged woman glanced up, nodded curtly, and then looked away after Barry waved. He then headed for Buffy's cluttered desk and slowly sat down on the chair right across from her.

"Miss Summers," he whispered leaning forward while Buffy leaned forward with a smirk on her face, "I have so much going on that I have to talk to someone."

"And what's your problem?" Buffy asked while she rested her elbow on the surface of the table, and then her chin on the palm of her hand.

"Is that how you talk to the students who come to you?" Barry whispered in mock surprise, knowing full well that Buffy knew he would come by to bother her before they would usually go out for lunch. Barry's heart was racing as he glanced at the clock on the wall and then at Buffy who began putting some of the files that were on her table away. She was supposed to go out with Barry for lunch, but since he had cancelled that day's lunch to go 'apartment hunting' without telling her, she made plans with Tara and Willow instead.

And she was about to leave as she stood up while staring at Barry.

"You're done with your plans for lunch?" asked Buffy as she picked up her bag, her voice hiding the fact that she was not happy that Barry cancelled their standing lunch to go apartment hunting. It was the explanation that Barry had given Buffy a few minutes ago before he went to see Giles. And Barry could see she wasn't happy, "I mean we should be both going to look at apartments since… you know, we live together, and… ah, anyway… I should get going for my lunch with Willow and Tara."

"Buffy," said Barry as she walked past him. He then sighed before following her while the middle-aged woman coughed as Buffy opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Barry was close behind as the woman then whispered "flowers". Barry reached the door and turned back at the senior councillor before saying, "Thanks, Kristie."

He then walked out the door behind Buffy, who had a little smile on her face which was hidden away from her boyfriend. Buffy heard his footsteps behind her before he moved up alongside and they walked together in the hallway past several students who were heading for the cafeteria.

"I know it should have been the both of us but I saw a listing and.. and well, I liked it," said Barry with a hand rubbing the back of his head. Buffy glanced at him and then looked away while trying to hide the smile from seeing his face red and flustered, "I just wanted to check it out before… before you and I take a look at it. You know?"

"Alright," Buffy said as she stopped and looked at Barry. She took a step forward and placed a hand on his chest while looking into his eyes. She loved those eyes… and she felt guilty for making him feel guilty about not bringing her along, "We'll go check it out after work."

"Sweet, oh, and I'll be checking out a few more places for lunch and..." Barry stopped talking as Buffy chuckled while she straightened his shirt in the hallway. She guessed that he was going to literally run through the apartment, his idea of an apartment self-tour, as she smoothed down the wrinkles. Barry looked at what she was doing and then looked up into her eyes.

He loved those eyes.

"How about tonight we go to a romantic dinner?" asked Barry softly as Buffy smiled.

"I was kidding when I was sounding all angry Barry, you don't have to…."

"It's not that," he whispered still looking into Buffy's eyes as if he was transfixed, "Buffy, it's not that and… and let's go for dinner. Just you and me. Wherever you want. And you know I mean anywhere you want."

"How about just here in Sunnydale, with you," Buffy whispered as she placed her hand on his cheek.

"That's good with me," said Barry looking into her eyes, "oh, I know we agreed that we'd stay out of each other's…" Barry then looked around, as did Buffy, before looking at each other again in the empty hallway, "… night-jobs as much as possible, but I asked Giles if he could cover you for tonight. I know you may get mad, but Giles said that he, Xander, and Anya will take care of…." Barry then leaned into Buffy's ear and whispered, "… patrol tonight. So it's just you and me."

"Sounds good to me," Buffy whispered into his ear before he pulled back slightly. Their noses were inches away as they stared at each other. She was about to kiss him when he suddenly pulled back upon hearing footsteps. They separated and stepped back as three students came around a hallway and rushed past them to the cafeteria. Once they passed Barry and Buffy, and ran into another hallway, the Slayer smiled at Barry before whispering again, "sounds good to me, Barry. And who's going to take over for the Flash?"

"Think you can talk to Angel?" asked Barry as Buffy chuckled. The both of them then walked down the hallway and out the exit. It was then that Buffy saw Tara and Willow waiting by the latter's car. Buffy turned to Barry and said that she'll see him later that night, "maybe we'll finish lunch early and I'll get something from the mall for dinner. I mean something to wear to dinner."

Barry grinned while Buffy chuckled and shook her head before kissing him on the cheek.

"I'll see you later and…. Then we'll check out the apartment. And then dinner." Barry said.

"We can check the apartment tomorrow," Buffy said before she backed away, "I'll see you later, Barry." Buffy then ran to the car while Barry waved at Tara and Willow.

**Barry and Buffy's apartment.**

A normal life. Or as close to it.

That's what Buffy's always wanted ever since she moved to Sunnydale and began slaying full time. It was a calling, at least that's what Giles said the first time they met. Ever since that day, Buffy's been craving a normal life.

But when she thought she could have a normal life, be it with Angel, Riley, or even Parker… life would kick back at her. She killed Angel and sent him to hell, he then later returned and broke up with her; then there was Parke who used her, and finally there was Riley who Buffy unwittingly drove away.

Except for Parker being a jerk, Buffy's Slayer side was the destabilising force in her life.

With Barry, however, it was different. He had powers and so he knew the struggle in balancing heroics with a normal life. They complemented each other since they knew what the other was going through. They balanced each other out.

As Buffy stood at the entrance to their room after opening the door; Barry gasped. After a quick lunch, Buffy, Tara, and Willow had gone shopping after the Slayer told her friends about the date with Barry later that night. She bought a black stripped off shoulder blouse and form-fitting black trousers… the very same outfit she was wearing at the entrance with her hair falling in curls framing her face.

After work, Barry told Buffy that he wanted to pick her up from the apartment they shared. He told Buffy, at the entrance to the school, he'd be in Xander's place preparing for their date, "I know it's absolutely cheesy, but I want to pick you up for our date. It that cheesy? Or silly? Or…"

"Pick me up at eight," Buffy whispered before Barry carried her and then ran to their apartment. He then set her down outside the door before they kissed. A few seconds later, Buffy parted and asked him if there was something special they were celebrating.

"Nothing special," Barry lied as he got lost in her eyes once again while brushing her hair with his fingers, "just you and me."

And that was hours ago. Ever since Barry zoomed away, Buffy's been wondering if there was any special day she missed. She remembered that she wasn't always the greatest girlfriend to Riley, and was afraid she missed something. But nothing came to mind. And then she jokingly wondered if the reason for the sudden date was because Barry felt guilty about something. That thought last for a few minutes until she told herself, after getting into the apartment, that Barry simply wanted a date.

Back in the present, Buffy walked towards Barry who stared at her while holding a bouquet of flowers in his left hand. It was only a few minutes ago, four minutes late, that Barry arrived and used his key to get into the apartment.

"You look amazing," Barry whispered as he leaned in and kissed Buffy passionately for a few seconds. He took in the scent of her perfume and the taste of her cherry lip balm before pulling away.

"You don't look half bad," Buffy chuckled as she stepped back while Barry handed her the flowers which she then placed in a vase, "they're beautiful, Barry." Buffy then turned to see Barry with a half-smile on his face as his hands were in his trouser pockets, "so.. where…."

"Ah.. ah.. ah.." Barry shook his head before reaching into the inner pocket of his sports coat and then taking out a blindfold, "It's kind of a surprise." Barry grinned while he blindfolded Buffy, who joked that she never realised Barry liked getting kinky. The speedster chuckled once he tied the blindfold from the back before he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "well, let's see where the night takes us". Barry then laughed, as did Buffy who turned around while she was still blindfolded.

"I'm ready," Buffy said.

"Hold on," Barry whispered as he carried her and then ran. He phased through the door and out into the hallway. All Buffy felt was a breeze blowing past her. She could tell that Barry was running fast, but not fast enough for her clothes to burn off. It would be a few seconds later, with Buffy that she felt Barry stop before placing her feet first on the ground.

"Don't take it off yet, Buffy," Barry whispered. Buffy nodded her head with a smile on her face before hearing 'whoosh' noises all around her.

Buffy knew that Barry was running around her, but she still had no idea why. At least not until Barry took off the blindfold a few minutes later. Buffy's eyes widened at the blanket on the grassy ground, on top of which was a picnic basket, two candles on the blanket, two plates of food, and four torches on tall stakes dug into the ground. She then looked over at Barry who had a small smile on his face as he held her hand and led her to the blanket.

"I know this was our second date, but technically speaking it is the first official date we had," Barry said as Buffy chuckled while the both of them stopped past the blanket at the edge of the cliff that overlooked Sunnydale and the ocean beyond; Kingman's Bluff. Buffy smiled at the slight breeze from the ocean and the view of the stars in the clear sky above them. She held onto Barry's hand before looking back at him.

She didn't know what to say as she took a step towards him. He hugged her tight while wondering when would be a good time to propose. He didn't know if the best time would be after the food, or before the food. He didn't know what would happen if she said no… it was a thought that just occurred to him as he started to get nervous.

"B… Buffy," whispered Barry as he mentally told himself to push on forward and ask her now. He looked down at her while their arms were around each other before speaking, "there's a reason why I wanted to pick you up… I mean not just to relive that date but to.. well, ok.. hold on… you know, I thought I had a whole speech in my head and…"

"Barry?" asked Buffy with a quizzical look before looking at the flaming torches staked into the ground and the picnic spread. Sh ethen turned her head back towards Barry and smiled, "I love it. I love you."

"I love you too," Barry whispered as he let go of her while his heart raced. He gently pushed her away. And that led to a surprised look from the Slayer at being pushed away.

"Barry, what…" Buffy was surprised when he let go of her. And then was, even more, surprise when he gently pushed her away. And the old thoughts of Riley leaving, of Angel, leaving, suddenly came rushing back into her mind. But those thoughts were kicked out of her mind, in fact, she lost all chain of thought when Barry held one of her hands as he went down on one knee.

With his other hand, he took out a small box. A box that Buffy stared with genuine surprise on her face. She then looked back at his eyes to see if he was kidding around. Buffy placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp when she realised that he was nervous, but he didn't seem to be joking around.

"Buffy," he started his speech while tears welled in her eyes at the young man in front of her. She didn't know if she was the first Slayer who would be engaged but she didn't care.

Buffy's heart raced with nervous energy as Barry spoke of how he felt about her and how happy he was to be by her side.

And then came the question. The question that made her heart leap with both joy and a hint of fear that something would happen to tear them apart.

"Buffy Anne Summers," Barry said as he opened the box. Buffy closed her eyes as tears of joy streaked down her cheeks, "will you marry me?"

"We'll face everything together," Buffy whispered as she stared at Barry with a smile on her face, "Yes, yes, I'll marry you, Barry Allen."

Barry gave a wide grin as he placed the ring on Buffy's finger before she leaned down and passionately kissed him. They parted after a few seconds so that she could pull Barry back to his feet, "I love you, Buffy Summers."

The both of them then kissed passionately once again as they stood on the cliff under the twinkling stars and a full moon. The light from both being reflected on the three diamonds of Buffy's engagement ring before a crackle of lightning travelled from Barry's body to Buffy, and travelled up her side while she continued to kiss Barry. Buffy ran her hand through Barry's hair while the lightning then travelled up her arm and into the center diamond of the ring.

TBC.

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Kingmans Bluff, Sunnydale.**

Buffy pulled back from kissing Barry as her fingers were intertwined with the hair on the back of his head. She looked into his eyes while feeling his hand resting on the back of her neck. The both of them were breathing hard from the passionate kiss the just shared as a wide smile appeared on Buffy's face upon realizing that there was a ring around her finger, an engagement ring.

She was getting married. Buffy teared up once again as she lowered her head and lay it down on Barry's chest. She could hear his heart beating while a tear trailed down the side of her eyes and then down both her cheeks. Closing her eyes, Buffy felt Barry's arms fighting around her while one of her hand rested on his back, and the other one on the back of his head.

She was getting married, that was the only thought going through her mind.

"I love you," Barry whispered as the both of them continued standing underneath the stars and the full moon. Buffy knew that a part of her heart would always belong to Angel just as she was aware that a part of Barry's heart would always belong to Iris. But it was the other part that seemed to outgrow the need for their past flames. Buffy loved Barry, and she knew that Barry felt the same way.

Buffy could feel it in his touch. In his voice. And in the way he would tighten his hold on the small of her back and the back of her head when mentioning her name.

And Buffy loved him too.

"I love you, Barry," Buffy whispered with a smile as tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. Her head still lay on his chest before she took in a deep breath and wiped her tears away. She then looked up at Barry before saying, while a silly smile remained on her face whenever she thought about the ring around her finger, that they should tell Joyce and the others.

It was then that Barry sheepishly revealed that he already asked Giles for his blessing.

"Such a romantic," Buffy chuckled while placing a hand on his cheek.

"I know this is a sensitive topic, but how about your dad?" Barry asked. The smile vanished from Buffy's face, and almost immediately Barry mentally kicked himself. He thought that Buffy was going to punch him since Hank Summers was still a sore topic. Instead, Buffy still held onto him while staring into his eyes and replied.

"Do you want him to come to the wedding?"

"He's your dad, Buffy," Barry said as Buffy took in a deep breath and the slowly exhaled, "all I know is that if my dad was still around, I'd at least tell him. If he comes, then that's his choice. Don't you think?"

"Fine," Buffy whined while Barry chuckled, "I'll tell him. But if he comes, which is very unlikely, the he sits at the back."

Barry simply nodded his head.

Buffy narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, 'no. Not my boyfriend, my fiancée.' Buffy then pushed herself up on her toes and kissed him on the lips before pulling back once again, "so, do we have dinner and then tell the others, or we skip dinner and then tell the others, or do we go home and have dessert and then tell the others?"

Buffy then giggled at her own suggestions while Barry looked on clueless.

"Dessert? Well, I…"

Buffy then went up on her toes and kissed the young man passionately. Pulling back, Barry looked into her eyes and knew the definition of 'dessert' Buffy had referred to earlier. And it wasn't the pie he made, the one being kept in the picnic basket. They looked at each other for a few seconds, a few seconds where all they heard were the sounds of crickets around them. Barry started to laugh after a few seconds while saying that he had no idea what the next step was going to be. The both of them held each other while laughing, their laughter carrying on through the night air, before they slowly started to calm down.

"Just to let you know," Barry chuckled as Buffy wiped away tears from her eyes, "I did cook this spread."

"Oh?" Buffy said impressed.

"Speed reading recipes, and then cooking them at Xander's place," Barry said when Buffy's eyes suddenly went wide.

"Wait, Xander knows?" Buffy then glanced at the picnic spread, and then back at Barry, "I mean… he knows about you asking me…"

"No," Barry said, "well... all he knows is that I wanted to celebrate our first official date. So... yeah. He thinks this is an anniversary of our first date. Which it is, technically speaking." Barry, while the both of them held on to each other, ran his hand through the strand of blonde hair at the back of Buffy's head and smirked, "as for dessert? Well, I heard it's good to wait. The anticipation helps to…"

"Please don't say it," Buffy giggled as a smiled developed on Barry's face.

"You're the one who mentioned dessert," Barry laughed while holding onto Buffy. The coupled laughed for a few more seconds before Barry and Buffy calmed down. They then looked at each other, "anticipation helps to… you know savour the dessert. So we wait. Have this spread, have the dessert I made, we tell the other, and then? Then we have dessert."

Buffy then chuckled before she replied.

"Yep," Buffy said as she and Barry separated while still holding hands. They then walked towards the blanket, and then sat down while Barry asked when she'd like the wedding. "I was thinking maybe six months from now? Or a year?" Buffy looked at Barry as he sat down next to her and tilted his head before nodding. "Then there's the guest list and… and…" Buffy then stared at Barry who had a small smile on his face, "I wish your friends from Central City were here. I wish Joe was here."

"Me too," Barry replied wistfully as he looked away at the grass surrounding them, and then looked back at Buffy while remembering the dream he had about marry her. Of course, that ended with Buffy dead, but it was something that Barry wasn't going to bring up at that very point in time. "I…."

"Let's just enjoy our company?" asked Buffy.

"Yea," Barry whispered before he leaned sideways and grabbed a bottle in an ice bucket. Buffy managed to see the inscription on the bottle, and then grabbed it out of his hands. She stared at the lettering on the label under the full moon, and then looked back up at Barry. The speedster looked at the surprised expression on Buffy's face and nodded his head when she looked back at him. He knew what she was going to ask, and so Barry answered before she could. "Yep, I got that from Champagne… I mean the actual place."

Buffy chuckled as she shook her head before she leaned in for another kiss. It would be a few minutes later that the cork opened with a pop. And Barry poured them each a glass.

"To the future," Barry whispered as he had a flashback of the dream where Buffy wore a wedding dress. And he dismissed it almost immediately as simply another dream. Their glasses 'clinked' while Buffy had a gentle smile on her face.

"To us," Buffy whispered before they took a sip of the liquid.

It would be two hours later that the two of them headed back to the Summers home. Once outside the door, Buffy reluctantly took off her ring so that she could surprise the others. She knew that Joyce and Dawn were at home. As for Willow and Tara, the two women were at their own apartment. As for Xander and Anya, they were at the Magic Box while Giles was probably with them, or in his apartment. Buffy and Barry stared at each other as they stood on the porch before looking down at the ring in between Buffy's fingers. He then glanced up at Buffy continuing to stare at the ring, she looked as if she didn't want to take it off.

Barry was about to ask her to keep it on, that they could tell Joyce and Dawn first before telling the others. But it was Buffy who spoke first.

"Can you find the others?" asked Buffy as she looked up at Barry.

"Yes," he replied as Buffy put the ring into her trousers' pocket. Barry then leaned in and kissed Buffy's cheek before he ran out of the porch at lightning speed. Buffy had just turned around to knock on the door when there was a gust of wind behind her, followed by the tell-tale 'whoosh' of Barry running away once again. She turned around to find Giles in jeans and a shirt holding a glass of scotch in one hand, and a book in another hand. He looked around, surprised, and then back at the grinning Buffy.

"Buffy?" Giles said looking at his Slayer, "what… I mean… how was the date? And…"

"You knew," Buffy whispered, without knocking on the door, as she rushed to Giles and hugged him. The Book Giles was holding fell onto the ground from the impact, and some of the scotch spilled onto the walkway, but Buffy held on tight to the man she thought of as a father. It was then that Xander and Anya appeared, both dazed as well. Buffy parted from Giles with a smile on her face, she nodded at the older man who looked back at her in surprise. And then realization hit Giles, and he offered Buffy a wide smile… all while Xander and Anya asked what was going on. They looked around, and then laid their eyes on Buffy who whispered 'thanks' to Giles.

The older man drank down what remained of the liquid in the glass, and then bent down to pick up the book, before Buffy turned to Anya and Xander who asked her how the date went.

"First date anniversary," Xander gave her a thumb up sign just as there was another whoosh sound. And two yelps. Buffy looked behind Anya and Xander at Willow and Tara on either side of Barry.

"How was the trip?" chuckled Buffy as Willow and Tara turned to her in surprise, and then to Barry who said that he may have interrupted Tara singing to Willow back in the park.

"You can sing?" Buffy asked Tara impressed as she blushed while Willow pursed her lips and gently smacked Barry's arm.

"Sorry," whined Barry as he rubbed his upper arm. He sheepishly looked at Willow, and then continued, "I didn't know it was supposed to be a secret."

"It's fine," smiled Tara as she placed a hand on Barry's shoulder. Just then, the door opened and Dawn peeked her head out with a confused look on her face. She asked the group if they were going to stand around on the porch the whole day, especially since she could hear them talking from the living room where she was watching TV.

"And you can sing?" Dawn asked Tara as Joyce walked up behind her youngest daughter and then leaned out the doorway asking if everyone was alright, and what they were doing standing out on the porch.

"Barry, Buffy?" asked Joyce turning her head towards them, "how was the date?"

"Mom?" Buffy said as she and Barry stood together. She then looked at everyone, only stopping at Giles for a few more seconds before turning towards the others, and then to Joyce and Dawn, "let's go inside, we need to talk."

**St. Mary's Church, Sunnydale, ten months later. 1700 hours.**

After a ten-month engagement, the big day had finally arrived for both Buffy and Barry. Ove the past two days, the both of them hadn't seen each other with Barry staying his and Buffy's apartment, while Buffy stayed at her home with Dawn and Joyce. It would be in Buffy's old house that Willow, Anya, Joyce, Tara, and Dawn would leave for the church where there would be two suites for the bride and groom to get ready.

Dawn, who was the most ecstatic upon hearing that Barry proposed, had already the latter to tell him that they were on the way to the church. Barry chuckled at her excited before he put the phone down and then looked around his living room. He then stared at the clock and knew that Xander, his best man, was coming to pick him up in an hour's time. But he also knew that he didn't have Joe, iris, Wally, Cisco, Harry, or Caitlin with him. Barry wanted them to be there as he walked in his boxers and shirt towards a drawing of Team Flash that Buffy had framed for his birthday. It was on a mantle in the living room next to pictures of his Sunnydale family- one picture of was of him and Buffy hugging: Barry was behind Buffy with his arms around her waist while she had her hands-on top of his. He was laughing with his head on her shoulder while Buffy showed off her teeth as she laughed at the camera. There were other pictures of two groups in laser tag armour; Xander, Barry, and Dawn in one team while Buffy, Willow, and Tara were in another team- no powers were allowed.

Barry looked at the other pictures, and stared at the one of Joyce hugging him. It was the night he and Buffy revealed that they were engaged. Joyce hugged him tight and asked him in a whisper if he would mind if she called him her son. "No, I don't," Barry whispered as they who held each other tight while Buffy, Tara, Willow, and Dawn were already planning while Anya placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder and smiled.

Back in the apartment, Barry looked back at the picture of Joe and the others, "I wish you were here, Joe. I really do. I know you would have liked Buffy, and I know she would have loved you and Iris. She's a wonderful girl; she.. she has a strength in her that… that's so amazing. And she has her flaws too and… and I love her because of the whole package." Buffy then stared at the drawing of Iris, "Iris, you're in my heart. There will always be a part of my heart that will be yours. The rest belongs to Buffy, I love her as much as I loved you. I… I just wish you could have met her."

Barry then took in a deep breath, "I love you all. From you Joe, to Oliver, I love you all." Barry smiled and then turned around. He needed to get ready for the biggest day of his life.

And it was. With Xander standing by his side, Barry sucked in a deep breath and widened his eyes at Buffy who was in a white strapless lace wedding gown. Her face was angelic with red lipstick, and it took Barry's breath away to see her in the dress which also seemed to highlight her curled blonde, shoulder length hair. Walking down the aisle as the wedding march placed while the guests; the friends; fellow teachers and Counsellors the couple had grown to know from Sunnydale High, and family totalled nearly twenty in all.. but to both Barry and Buffy, it seemed like a lot of people.

It was enough for Buffy. She told Barry when they were planning for the wedding that she would like to have a small intimate affair instead of a big wedding. Barry reminded her that she was the one who dreamed of a big wedding.

"This is big enough for me," Buffy said after the guest list was finalised as she stared at the list, and then back up at the man she loved.

Back in the present day, the guests all stood as Buffy walked down the aisle with Giles by her side. Buffy glanced at Angel, who smiled back at her and nodded his head. She saw him standing alongside Gunn, Lorne, and Fred. Angel already explained to Buffy that Conner, his son, didn't want to come, and Cordelia who returned recently from the higher planes, was feeling sick.

And Buffy understood; she talked to Cordelia, her old friend and rival on the phone before the wedding. However Buffy's couldn't help but feel that there was something very wrong with Cordelia's voice before promising to coming by to visit her after the wedding… with pictures. Buffy then looked away from the ensouled vampire who still had a piece of her heart. She looked at Barry standing with Xander at the alter, and her heart raced with nervous energy. She was marrying someone who managed to steal the rest of her heart.

And Buffy could leave the smile off her face as she stared at Barry.

As for Angel, he then turned towards Joyce who was dabbing her eyes, and then he stared at the back of Buffy's head and whispered, "good luck, Buffy."

To make it equal between the two, Buffy selected Willow as her maid-of-honour while Tara and Dawn sat together in the front next to Joyce. A few steps away from the alter, Giles turned to Buffy and stared at her with a proud look of a father giving away his daughter.

They had invited Hank Summers to the wedding, but he never RSVP'd. And so, Buffy didn't push Hank to come. And neither did Barry.

Back in the present day, Giles handed over Buffy to Barry, and then patted the groom's shoulder. Giles then walked back to his seat next to Joyce while the bride and groom stared at each other for a few seconds. Buffy tried to remember her vows as her heart raced. She stared at Barry, while thinking to herself that she couldn't remember a single word of her vows. The very same vows she had memorised over the last week.

But she didn't let it show to Barry who, unknown to Buffy, had also forgotten what he wanted to say from the moment he set his eyes on his future wife as she walked down the aisle between the rows of ten seats on either side. Barry gulped as he tried to go through his memories, but it all came as a blank. The two of them then turned towards the priest who then began the ceremony. And when it came time, Buffy and Barry held each other's hands.

And neither could remember their vows. So, they each spoke from the heart instead from memory.

They both avoided the topics of either one of them having powers, and how they really met; he guessed that telling people he was a super powered person from another Earther wouldn't go down too well… especially since no-one in the church hall, except for the Scoobies, knew he was the Flash. Instead, Barry told Buffy of how he was in a bad place when he came to Sunnydale. "I wanted to start a new life. And then I met you, and we had some fits in the beginning." Barry then smiled down at the Slayer, "but we fit together." Barry continued as tears welled in Buffy's eyes when he mentioned that he borrowed her strength to see through his own darkest days, "and I can never thank you for that. I know this isn't the vows I wanted to say, in fact, when I saw you down the aisle, my mind went blank."

Buffy then closed her eyes and shook her head while she laughed in response. As did the guests at the moment of levity. Barry looked sheepishly at Joyce and Giles who just smiled at him. Barry then turned back to Buffy and tightened his hold on her hands, "and I am so honoured to know you; I am honoured that you allowed me to share my future with you. I am honoured in so many ways that it would be hard to describe right now. Thank you, Buffy Anne Summers." Barry then breathed in deep to keep away the tears, "I love you."

Buffy smiled at Barry as the Priest then turned to Buffy and asked her for her vows.

"I love you, Barry Allen," Buffy said as she locked eyes with Barry. As of that one moment, it was only her and Barry in the room. The others were far, far away as she continued speaking about her admiration of his tenacity, his kindness, his love for others, and how he would bring light to her dark days. "You are the one I turn to when things so south, and you pull me back up. You encourage me to be better than I am, and I know that with you by my side… we can be better that we are for the future. You are my lighting that lights the darkness, Barry." Buffy then took a deep breath, and continued, "everyone searches for the people who can complement them, Barry. The search for the ones who fit. And I know I've found him, Barry. I found you."

The two smiled at each other as Angel, who was able to come to the wedding thanks to the time it was being held, looked on. He then looked at Joyce again who was sniffing, and then at Willow and the others who were staring at the couple as they exchanged rings. He then turned back to Buffy who continued to stare at Barry. And gave a small smile appeared on his face. Angel saw that Buffy was happy, and that was all he ever wanted for her.

And then, Buffy and Barry cemented their marriage with a kiss.

At the reception, Barry and Buffy shared the first dance before Barry danced with Joyce and Buffy danced with Giles. The party atmosphere in the adjoining event hall went on until eight in the evening when Barry, Buffy, The Scoobies, and Team Angel were the last ones to go. Before leaving, Barry and Angel shook hands, with the latter and Team Angel never realizing that the man who married Buffy was the Flash.

**Hotel Ares, Paris, France. 1830 hours.**

By plane.

That's how Buffy and Barry both arrived in Paris for their honeymoon. The entire time from the beginning of the wedding to the reception, and then to LA for their flight to Paris; the two of them were worried that something would break the 'so far so good' feeling that the both of them were feeling. There were no demons or vampires crashing any part of their wedding, nor were there sudden apocalypses.

Everything went as it was supposed to; which was rather unusual in itself. It made Buffy wonder if there was something worse coming in the horizon. She wondered if this was just the calm before a really bad storm. However much she pushed that thought away, the more that worry stuck to a portion of her mind. She shared that feeling with Barry during their dance; and Barry had a plan.

A plan that Buffy agreed with wholeheartedly.

The both of them asked Giles to call them if things got urgent. Barry said that he could bring Buffy back to Sunnydale in a matter of minutes from Paris if there was something that Giles and the others couldn't deal with. Once Giles agreed, Buffy and Barry left for the airport in Los Angeles. Since the both of them had only light bags with them, Barry was able to sling them both over his shoulders while carrying Buffy in his arms.

"You sure about not taking a cab," Buffy had while Joyce opened the door to the house while Buffy and Barry were in the living room prepared to leave.

"Nah," Barry answered before he ran at super speed while Joyce and the others waved before closing the door. Given how hectic their day had gone, once they boarded the plane, both Buffy and Barry went to sleep. Their eyes were closed as Barry's arm was draped over Buffy's shoulder while she placed her head on his shoulder, and he lay the side of his head on top of hers.

And that was how they spent the entire flight; only waking up when it was nearly time to land at Charles De Gaul. The groggy couple could only look at each other, and then out the window as the plane landed at the runway, and then slowly rolled over to the gate. Yawning as the plane came to a stop, they two of them held their hands together before they got out of their seats and joined the line of passengers standing in the aisle waiting to be let out.

And all Barry could think of was that he wished he had run to Paris while carrying Buffy in his arms. Once they made it off the plane and collected their bags, Barry and Buffy then took a cab to their hotel. Barry had already made the arrangements; they had gotten one of the most romantic rooms at the top floor of the hotel- one with a view of the Eiffel tower.

Once the concierge who brought their bags up had left, Barry lifted Buffy into his arms and then walked across the threshold. The both were chuckling as Buffy was carried into the room. The door leading to the hallway still open, Barry spun around and Buffy reached out before closing the door shut. It was then that Buffy saw the top of the Eiffel Tower outside the window, with the bottom half cut off thanks to the buildings between the hotel and the tower. She then turned her head and looked at the bottle of champagne in a standing ice bucket. She saw the large bed resting against the wall with two side tables on either side.

She then turned to Barry while her arms were around his neck while he carried her in his arms. The both of them were silent as he then turned and walked towards the bed past the lounge chair, past the flat screen TV, and past a table with two chairs on either side.

Buffy was on her honeymoon. In Paris. This was her dream and Barry made it come true. As she stared at Barry while he carried her, a part of her was screaming in joy. Just like she did when Barry revealed that he wanted to take her to Paris for their honeymoon. And it was not just Paris. Yes, Paris would be 'homebase', but Barry intended to take Buffy to anywhere she wanted to go in Europe. For the fastest man alive, it wasn't going to be any trouble at all.

And all Buffy could go as she stared at her husband-to-be, was get closer and hug him tight.

"We could go out and explore," Barry said as he reached the foot of the bed with Buffy in his arms back in the present day, "or… well," Barry stared at Buffy with a smirk on his lips, "I could think of a few things we could do now."

Buffy simply stared into his eyes while a hand was gently massaging the back of his neck. She bit her lower lip as she leaned forward and kissed the man she loved before whispering. "You know what they say, right?" Buffy pulled back while staring into his eyes, "the more you wait for something great, the better it feels when you get it."

"And who said that?" Barry asked.

"Well… me," Buffy said before the both of them broke out into chuckles. It was Barry who spoke first after a few seconds."

"Well, there is a place that Giles recommended," Barry whispered as he lay Buffy down feet first on the carpet at the foot of the bed. Buffy placed a finger on his lips and shook her head before asking him to surprise her. She pulled the finger away before Barry took her hand in his, and then walked out of the room. He memorized a map of Paris after getting ideas of places to take Buffy, and the two of them the walked towards their destination.

It would be at eight thirty in the evening that Barry and Buffy returned to the hotel room. Their first destination once they stepped out of the hotel was the Pont Alexandre III where the both of them kissed passionately while other passers-by walked passed. From there, Buffy and Barry walked aimlessly. As they held onto each other's arms, they both of them wanted to take in where they were, before they stopped for dinner, and then a return to their hotel room.

They had time on their side to visit the other sights in Paris over the course of their honeymoon, but for now, Barry lay Buffy on the bed in the semi darkened room. Buffy shimmied up the bed until her head lay on the soft pillows that were placed against the cushioned headboard while Barry crawled up and hovered over his wife. Buffy placed a hand gently on his cheek, their clothes still on, as Barry leaned down.

The soft glow from the tower in the distance streamed through the lace curtains. The light hit the clothes that were scattered all around the bed and gently landed on two bodies as the couple finally consummated their marriage. The both of them took it slow while, in the corner of the room, stood the First in Iris's form. It's face showing rage and betrayal while watching Buffy flip over Barry. The both of them were taking their own time as Buffy straddled him and leaned down for a passionate kiss.

"Enjoy yourselves while you can," the First said as it smirked at the couple while taking on Buffy's form, "the others have been resurrected, and soon… soon I am coming. In the meantime, lets see how many you can save."

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

**Barry and Buffy's Room, Hotel Ares, Paris, 0700 hours.**

Buffy couldn't believe she was married. It happened only last night, but to the blonde Slayer it was almost as if it was a dream. She felt that she would wake up and find that she was back in her room alone, and that her life would be just as it was without Barry. She was afraid that she would open her eyes and have to deal with Spike and his overtures towards her, she was afraid that she would have to live her life without the man she loved even though she was surrounded by her friends. Buffy was afraid to open her eyes as she inhaled and exhaled on the soft feel of the satin sheets beneath her.

She wanted her eyes to remained closed while she remembered the kiss the both of them shared on the Pont Alexdandre III where they kissed as the sun set and the first stars appeared in the sky. The both of them had a picture taken of each other after the kiss by asking a passer-by to take Barry's camera. The young stranger then took a picture of Barry and Buffy, the former placing his arm around her shoulders… and Buffy having her arms around his waist as they smiled at the camera.

After the picture was taken, the young man ran off after returning the camera, returning to his female companion who was waiting for him a meter away. Buffy and Barry stared at the picture on the rear screen of the camera together, and then at each other before walking away arm in arm. The both of them then just explored the surrounding area for some time before stopping at a café for dinner.

Buffy still didn't want to wake up from her sleep. Paris was her dream destination, and she didn't want to wake up to see her room in Sunnydale. She simply did not.

As Buffy's eyes remained shut, she remembered walking back to their hotel. She remembered Barry carrying her through the threshold of their room once again before, under the soft glow of the lights from the buildings and the tower in the distance outside the window, she was gently placed on the bed. The consummation of their marriage was a slow and sensuous affair. It wasn't as if they hadn't made love before, but the fact that it was the night after their wedding made it all the more special. Before long, after their sweat covered bodies trembled in the throes of passion, the both of them continued to kiss each other until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

'I don't wanna wake up,' Buffy thought to herself while half-expecting Dawn to knock on her door, 'was it all a dream? Last night, was it a dream?'

It was just after those thoughts passed through her mind that Buffy felt warm breath on her back. She slowly opened her eyes as soon as she felt the arm draped around her naked waist, and through the fog that covered her vision, a fog she dispelled after blinking her eyes a few times she smiled.

It wasn't a dream. She found herself lying on her side facing the wall. She looked at the painting on the wall and then shifted her eyes to the side table where there was a welcome kit from the hotel. She then shifted her eyes to the bottle of champagne that had its cork unopened. Buffy smiled as she closed her eyes once again, making a note to herself to have the bottle cooled for later that night.

For now, though, Buffy didn't want to move away from the warmth of Barry's body. 'It wasn't a dream at all.' Buffy smiled as she placed her hand on top of Barry's as it lay on her flat abdomen. Buffy didn't want to move away from him now. She wanted to remain like this for all time; just lying next to each other on a soft bed with their heads on feather soft pillows.

And Buffy closed her eyes once again content in the knowledge that her wedding wasn't a dream. It was real, and she was going to make sure that nothing – from vampires to demons to apocalypses- would tear them apart.

Buffy mentally told herself that she was going to protect Barry, just as she was going to protect her family and friends. 'I would give my life for you.' And Buffy, her hair splayed on her soft pillow, went back to sleep.

It would be a few minutes later, after having the feel of Buffy laying her hand on his own, Barry slowly opened his eyes and found himself looking at Buffy's bare upper shoulders and neck. He didn't want to wake her up as he blinked his eyes to get rid of the cobwebs in his vision. The Slayer's skin was still warm to the touch as he leaned in, closed his eyes, and breathed in her scent; it was of vanilla as they lay under the blanket.

He still remembered Buffy in her wedding dress and how she took his breath away. Barry just wished that Henry and Nora were there at the wedding. He also wished that Oliver and the rest of Team Arrow, Iris and the rest of Team Flash were there; Barry was sure that they would love Buffy and the other Scoobies. Their teams were alike in more ways than one, all were fighting to save the world and protect people. Barry would have loved to see Willow, Caitlin, and Felicity together discussing the latest in technology… Tara and Iris, Joe and Giles, Cisco and Willow, Oliver and Buffy, Xander and Anya and Felicity. Barry wished that his friends on this Earth and Earth One could meet one day.

But even if Cisco could find him, Barry already knew his answer if Cisco asked him to return.

'No.' Barry had his wife and her family on this Earth, and he wasn't going to leave them. When Barry thought about the word 'wife', his eyes focused on Buffy's shoulders. And a smile formed on his face as he thought about the word 'wife' again and again. Barry knew he wasn't going to try and convince Buffy and the others to leave their world to the darkness that she had been fighting her entire life.

Barry was going to stay in Sunnydale with his wife.

'My wife,' Barry excitedly thought as he stared at Buffy's shoulder, 'this is my wife. My wife. I'm married and I have a wife… oh wow, I have a wife.'

Barry took in a deep breath, and then gently exhaled as he closed his eyes. They had time to enjoy themselves on their honeymoon. For now, though, Barry wanted to just lay in bed with Buffy.

**Barry and Buffy's Room, Hotel Ares, Paris, 0930 hours.**

Buffy slowly opened her eyes once again, this time with her head lying on Barry's chest, the sound of his heart beating clearly audible as a smile appeared on her face. He lay on his back with an arm around Buffy's back while her arm was draped around his waist. She didn't know how they moved into a new position, but Buffy didn't really care. She looked up at Barry through groggy eyes and then reluctantly lifted her arm and rolled onto her back before she looked to her side table for the current time.

'Nine thirty,' Buffy thought to herself before she turned her head and looked at Barry's sleeping form while she still lay on his arm. She then rolled the other way and returned to her previous position with her head on Barry's chest. She simply stared at the closed curtains and then back at Barry, and then she sighed before speaking, "Barry."

Buffy looked up at Barry and saw that he was unmoving. The both of them were still suffering from jetlag, at least Buffy knew she was since a part of her was begging her body to lay in bed. But she and Barry were on their honeymoon, and while it felt great to lay next to the man she loved… Buffy wanted to get up and start their day.

'Or I could just lie here,' a small part of Buffy thought as she closed her eyes once again.

'Or I could get up and call up room service,' another part of Buffy countered as she opened her eyes once again. She looked up at Barry and smiled while thinking about their exertions the previous night that went on to early that morning, 'the both of us needed to eat to regain their energy.

Buffy smiled and shook her head ass he moved to her back once again and then rolled over to a seating position while her legs were hanging off the edge of the bed. Her feet her already touching the floor as she got up off the bed and then walked over to the shirt on the floor. She picked it up and then put it on before looking around for her panties. Finding it hanging unceremoniously off the back of a chair, Buffy walked over while releasing a yawn, grabbed the pair of black laced underwear, and then put it on while staring at the sleeping Barry.

She then walked over to the phone in the room and picked the receiver off the cradle. After dialling the front desk, Buffy then sat back on the bed with her back to Barry and ordered room service for the both of them. Once she was done, Buffy placed the receiver back on the cradle and was about to get off the bed when she heard a whisper from behind.

"Morning." Smiling with her back to Barry, the Slayer then turned her body and sat on the bed while Barry stared at her while laying in his side. Buffy sat cross-legged while Barry crawled over and then lay his head on her legs. Looking up at his wife, Barry simply smiled as he raised an arm and gently rested his hand on Buffy's cheek.

"Morning." Buffy answered laying a hand on the side of Barry's face, "they said they'll bring up their special for two in thirty minutes." Buffy nodded towards the phone while looking down at Barry whose hands her on her upper arms while she leaned forward until her blonde hair fell on Barry's chest and their faces were inches apart. To the both of them, it seemed as if the other was upside down.

Buffy then leaned forward and kissed Barry on his forehead, and then she moved her head toward his lips. They kissed for a few seconds before she pulled back and looked into his eyes, which weren't groggy anymore.

"I think I saw that move in a movie once," Barry whispered after the upside-down kiss. The both of them then laughed before Buffy kissed Barry on his forehead again.

"Come on, Barry," Buffy whispered after the kiss, "time to get up."

"Ummm Ummmm," Barry moaned in response while nodding his head. That movement made Buffy giggle since the hair on the back of his head was tickling her bare legs. Barry stopped nodding his head, and Buffy's giggling faded before saying with a smirk, "you're wearing too many things."

Buffy laughed out, and then yelped when Barry swiftly got up at super speed and then rushed to the shower. Buffy's hair was fluttering from the wake of his run before she turned around on the bed, only to hear the water from the shower before she felt a gust of wind carry her, clothes and all, into the shower where she was hit by the warm water falling onto her.

"Barry!" yelled Buffy as she giggled when she turned to find Barry standing behind her. He pulled her in and kissed her before being gently pushed back by Buffy who then peeled off her wet clothes, and handed them to Barry, "just so you know, that shirt was my favourite." Barry chuckled as he dropped the wet clothes on the floor. Staring at Buffy as the water from the overhead shower landed on her head, and then beaded down her body… Barry felt his heart racing.

"You like what you see?" Buffy asked running her hands through her wet hair before placing them on her hips.

Barry shrugged before a smile appeared on his face. This time it was Buffy who took a few steps forward and pulled him in for a kiss while the speedster grabbed the inside of the sliding shower door and slid it shut. As they kissed, Buffy suddenly pulled abck and laughed when a silver electrical charge leaped from Barry to Buffy.

"I'm gonna call you sparky from now on," Buffy said as she wrapped her arms around the back of Barry's neck after he pulled her closer. The young man smirked before shaking his head.

"Sparky huh?" Barry said as he started to tickle Buffy, who was laughing hysterically. As steam built up in the shower, the laughter of the two newlyweds turned to sounds of passion that could be heard from the bathroom and into the bedroom.

It would be thirty five minutes later that the couple walked out of the shower with silly grins on their faces. They put on new clothes from their travel bags just as there was a knock on the door. Barry went to open the door while Buffy went out of sight and put on a colourful blouse over her pair of jeans. Barry then pushed the cart of food in after taking it from the bellhop, and then they closed the door.

Once they were done with breakfast, the two of them went out and, following Giles' recommendation, they enjoyed the sights and sounds of Paris… starting with the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was there that Barry's heart lifted as he watched the awe and wonder on Buffy's face when they entered the cathedral. He knew that visiting France was Buffy's dream, and he was simply glad he was able to fulfil it.

The both of them would spend their honeymoon in Paris, and various other cities including Boudreaux, Nice, and Montpellier thanks to Barry's powers. It was ten wonderful days that Buffy told Barry she would never forget.

**Thirty thousand feet in the air, passing over the Atlantic Ocean.**

"Barry?" Buffy asked as she spun around after finding herself standing on a trail, a gravel trail, surrounded by tall grass and several trees. It was dark, but she could still see what was around her thanks to the moon lit night. She looked down at herself and found herself wearing a pair of blue jeans, a blue blouse, her wedding ring and engagement ring were on her finger while her hair was tied into a ponytail. Buffy looked back up as she took a step forward, her shoes crunching onto the gravel underneath, while yelling into the surrounding area, "Barry?!"

She was confused. The last thing that Buffy remembered was the both of them having finished dinner which was served on the plane, and then the both of them pulled up the armrest that separated them in the two seats next to the window. Barry placed his arm around her shoulders and then pulled her close. She placed her head on Barry's shoulder before closing her eyes as she thought about getting back to their lives at the school, slaying, and being the Flash.

Before Buffy realized it, she fell asleep while the planes engines hummed in the background.

"Stay away from her!" Buffy heard Barry voice yelling from behind her. It was then that she heard the sounds of lightning crackling, the sound that Barry made when he ran, and Buffy bolted towards the sound. She ran as fast as possible while the crackle of lightning, grunts, and yells from Barry got louder and louder. There was another voice though, a gravelly voice that sounded just like Barry when he vibrated his vocal chords when she first met him as the Flash.

Except this voice wasn't Barry. It was deeper and more sinister. It was a voice that chilled her to her very core.

"Barry!" yelled Buffy as she ran, skidding into a corner, and then taking off running again just as the sounds of the crackling lightning stopped. "Barry!" yelled Buffy when she saw her husband lying bleeding on the gravel trail a few meters away. "Barry!" yelled Buffy when she suddenly stopped in her tracks upon seeing the man standing over him. A man in yellow with red eyes, and a red lightning bolt on his chest.

"You…." Buffy was stunned as she placed her legs apart and rolled her hands into fists. She remembered Barry's description of the man standing in front of her; the man who killed his mother. The man called Eobard Thawne; the Reverse Flash. Buffy glanced down at Barry and noticed a circular device on the side of his head which had LED lights blinking along its edges. She then turned her attention back to Thawne who tilted his head at her.

"Why are you here? How did you… uphhh."

The truth was that there was nothing Buffy could do against a speedster. Nothing at all. So before Buffy could do or say anything else, she heard Thawne laugh maniacally before he ran towards her. Buffy screamed for Barry as the Reverse Flash grabbed her arms and then ran. Everything was a blur with streaks of red lightning surrounding her before she found herself back at her home. Reverse Flash had phased through the door and stopped at the foyer before he twisted his body, and then flung Buffy onto the stairs, which she hit with a thud, at super speed.

Buffy screamed in pain as she impacted the stairs with her side hitting the edges of the wooden steps. Hearing her scream, the rest of the Scoobies rushed into the foyer, while Dawn and Joyce ran down the stairs at Buffy.

"Buffy!" yelled Dawn as she reached Buffy while Joyce had her eyes wide open as she stared at Thawne.

"Barry's gone," Thawne growled at Buffy while the others only stared; Joyce got down on a knee and held onto Buffy who glared at the man in yellow while Dawn held on tight onto the banister as her arm shook. Thawne glared at Buffy with a wicked smile on his face, "and now? Well….. I'm doing you and your family a favour. The end is coming, and they don't really need to see it."

"No!" Buffy yelled as Thawne zoomed around the foyer. Buffy only heard multiple cracks before Thawne stood over her, his foot pressed down on her chest. She screamed in rage as everyone crumpled to the floor; all dead. "NO!"

Thawne smashed his foot down onto her chest, and Buffy screamed in pain. With eyes full of tears as her body cried out in pain, Buffy panted while tasting blood in her mouth as Thawne kneeled beside her. He then leaned down and whispered in her ear before pulling back. They stared at each other for a second before Thawne growled. He pulled his arm back while it vibrated. Buffy opened her eyes wide open as the arm was pushed down into her chest, and then everything went black.

Buffy snapped her eyes open and felt a weight on top of her head. She looked at the reflection on the television screen on the seat back in front of her and saw that Barry had the side of his head on top of her own. Buffy's heart was racing as she recalled the dream while she gently squeezed Barry's hand tight.

'No, it wasn't a dream… not just any dream,' Buffy thought to herself as she willed herself to calm down from the thought of seeing her family dead at the hands of the Reverse Flash, 'it was a vision. Thawne's coming… somehow, he's coming here.' And for some reason, Buffy was filled with dread when she recalled what Thawnee whispered in her ear before vibrating his hand into her chest.

'From Beneath you, it devours.'

TBC.


	24. Chapter 24

**Sunnydale, Unknown Earth.**

After the plane carrying Buffy and Barry landed in Los Angeles, and after the couple grabbed their bags, Barry rushed off at super-speed with Buffy's arms around his neck.

"You uncomfortable?" Buffy said before Barry started to run, the woman smirking as she looked into his eyes. Barry smiled at her while holding only both the bags before taking off running a few seconds ago. The two of them stopped at the entrance to their apartment, and Buffy lowered herself down to her feet. Once they touched the ground, Buffy turned and opened the door before walking in with Barry close behind her. Closing the door once the Speedster walked in, Buffy put away the door key into the bowl on the side table near the front door. She then leaned back against the door while Barry put the bags onto the carpeted floor.

Buffy bit her bottom lip as Barry walked over to her. He placed his hands on her waist as she rose up onto her toes and kissed Barry. The two of them kissed for a few more seconds before parting, "so, we staying in or heading to mom's place?"

Barry looked away thoughtfully before turning back to Buffy and telling her that they should check-in with Joyce, Giles, Dawn, and the others. "And you know they're gonna want to see the photos and souvenirs."

"Yeah," Buffy chuckled as she placed her hands on his chest while looking into his eyes. She then took in a deep breath and exhaled before saying, "we should get going. Mom and Dawn know when we landed, and are going to be worried if we don't tell them we came back safe and sound." The both of them continued staring at each other for a few more seconds before Barry leaned in and kissed Buffy's forehead. That kiss brought Buffy back the dream she had of staring at Barry's still body lying on the ground and then looking up at the Reverse Flash standing over him. It sent a chill up her spine as she continued staring and smiling at Barry who gently pulled her away from the door.

"You get the souvenirs, and I'll get the camera," Barry whispered as he and Buffy walked over to the bags on the floor of the living room. Buffy grabbed a hold of one of the bags and slung it over her shoulder while Barry opened the other bag containing their clothes and took out the digital camera. After he zipped up the bag, he turned to Buffy while stuffing the camera in his trouser pocket and asked if she was ready to go. Buffy stared at Barry and wondered if she should tell him about the dream she had on the plane- she wondered if it made any sense to worry him and herself. Buffy wondered if she should be responsible for shattering their after-honeymoon bliss. Buffy wondered if she should crash them into reality.

'Thawne could appear today, or tomorrow, or next week,' Buffy thought to herself as she parted her lips to exhale slowly while Barry still held onto her. Buffy looked away and shook her head before thinking to herself, 'I'm happy that we're married. And no matter what I tell him, he'll be here tomorrow and the day after, and years after that. We're back in Sunnydale, which means I have my responsibilities as the Slayer. And… and there's no choice.' Buffy knew that if she didn't say anything now, and the Reverse Flash appeared the next day, she would never forgive herself for not warning Barry.

"I know we're back in the real world, and.. and while I want to feel this way every day…" Buffy bit her lower lip and sighed while Barry placed his free hand on her cheek gently, "but there's something we need to talk about." Barry nodded his head at Buffy wondering what it was that seemed to make his wife slightly tense, as she raised her arm and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. The young woman then gently tightened her hold and took in a deep breath.

"Hey, what's up?" a concerned Barry asked as he lowered the bag to the floor and then placed the newly freed hand on her other cheek. Barry listened while Buffy was telling him that they needed to talk to Giles too, but that could wait until tomorrow. But he needed to know what she saw before telling the others.

"What you saw?" Barry furrowed his eyebrows.

"In my dream," Buffy clarified, "I had a prophetic dream on the plane, Barry."

"Oh," Barry nodded his head. He knew that Buffy's Slayer abilities, at least one of them, was to have prophetic dreams. She described it to him as seeing glimpses of the future in dream form- but before he could say anything else, Buffy explained what it was that she saw; the coming of the Reverse-Flash, Barry's own defeat, and incapacity as he lay on the ground with a device attached to him. Barry was already stunned while anger started to slowly boil within him as he imagined Thawne, the very man who killed his mother possibly returning and coming to Sunnydale. He knew it was possible, after all, there was the Time-Remnant of Thawne still out there somewhere. But it was what Buffy said next that had the young man bury his anger, and then hug his wife.

Buffy told Barry about Thawne killing everyone in the Summers house; from Dawn to Giles to Willow. "And then he killed me."

"Not happening," Barry whispered as he hugged Buffy tight, "that's not happening." She lay her head on his chest, and Barry ran his right hand through her hair, and his left hand lay on her lower back. AS she spoke, Barry breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm himself.

"Before he killed me," Buffy whispered, "he said something weird."

"What kind of weird?" Barry whispered.

"My kind of weird, at least I think so," Buffy said as she looked up at Barry who was still holding onto her, "he whispered in my ear, 'From beneath you, it devours'," Buffy then shook her head while guessing what it was that Barry was going to ask next, "and no, I have no idea what he meant."

Barry nodded his head before he and Buffy parted. He leaned down and kissed Buffy before saying that they would deal with whatever threat was coming. Buffy nodded her head and said that she'll ask Willow and Tara about spells that could slow down a speedster, "and I don't mean that thing Jonathan and the other two used when they tried to control my body."

"Ice," Barry said holding Buffy's hand before the both of them headed for the apartment door. He opened it while Buffy had her backpack slung over her shoulder, "ice… I mean really, really cold temperatures that reach absolute zero." Barry clarified that anything super fast, like a speedster, could be brought down by something really cold, "like the Cold Gun." Buffy nodded her head while closing the door behind her once they stepped into the hallway.

"Well, let's talk to Willow and Tara," Buffy whispered walking down the hallway with Barry next to her, "maybe they'll have a spell, and…." Suddenly stopping once she saw that Barry stopped walking, Buffy turned and saw the worried expression on his face. Buffy told Barry that Willow and Tara would be able to come up with something by tomorrow, "maybe a cold spell.. or something.. anyway, they're smart with the magics and…" Buffy stopped talking upon noticing the faraway look in his eyes.

"There's something that I should have told you earlier," Barry whispered as he held her hand and the both of them walked down the stairs. He waited until they were out on the sidewalk before they turned and walked in the direction of the Summers house. Once they began walking arm in arm, Barry continued explaining what it was he saw in the dream he had after freeing Buffy from being controlled by Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew.

Barry explained as Buffy listened patiently about how he saw that the both of them were getting married, "and everyone was there. Oliver, Joe, Iris, Caitlin, Wally, Cisco… I mean everyone I knew in Earth One was there." Buffy nodded her head as she held his hand while walking. She was surprised to hear that he had actually dreamt about the both of them marrying, and was about to ask where the wedding was being held in the dream. But before she could ask, Barry said, "and no, I didn't propose to you because of that dream. And I didn't have our honeymoon in Paris because of that dream."

Buffy chuckled as she nodded her head. "So, where did you dream about us getting married? And how about the honeymoon?"

"Well," Barry said remembering his own dream, "we got married in your backyard." Buffy smiled as she looked away from Barry and wondered what that would have been like, but her smile soon vanished, "but there wasn't a honeymoon. In my dream, you were walking down the aisle and.. well, you started bleeding from the chest."

"Huh?" Buffy asked with her eyes widened looking at Barry whilst walking together.

"I think you died," Barry added as Buffy looked at him in silence before looking away, "and then the scene changed like… like everything melted away." Buffy then turned back towards him and tilted her head, "I saw all of you Buffy, I mean you and your friends. And…"

"Our friends, Barry," Buffy reminded him, and chuckled when he nodded his head before saying he still missed his old friends, "you're a part of the family now, you know." Barry nodded his head and then took in a deep breath before continuing.

"Our friends," Barry continued, "they were all dead. You, Willow, Tara, Giles, Dawn, Joyce… I saw all of you dead. And.. and there were the bodies of other girls too. Girls I've never seen before."

"All dead?" Buffy asked with her eyebrows furrowed. Barry nodded his head before saying that he didn't know what to make of it at the time. He explained that he meant to tell Giles and Buffy, but there were things that kept on getting in the way. And eventually, he simply pushed it to the back of his mind since it was a weird dream.

Barry nodded his head at Buffy before looking away, "it was a weird dream. And the weirdest part of all?" Barry looked over at Buffy and said, "Thawne was there, and he put his arm into my chest to kill me."

"And you've never had these dreams before, or since then?" Buffy asked.

"Nope?" Barry shook his head, "Not since then. And not before that night either."

"Thawne in both of our dreams?" Buffy asked with a frown on her face, "there's got to be something going on. Maybe he finds a way here before Cisco can find a way?"

"I don't know," Barry said, gently squeezing Buffy's hand, "but we need something to stop him."

"And we'll find out more about your dream," Buffy said, "maybe Giles will know something."

"But first," Buffy continued nodding at the camera in Barry's pocket, "we'll let them get the whole honeymoon thing out of their system, and then we'll talk to Giles and the other guys."

"Wait, you got the whole honeymoon thing out of your system already?" Barry asked.

"I don't think I'll ever come back to reality," said Buffy before grinning at Barry. Barry then chuckled before saying that he didn't think he could either. And Buffy replied, "Well, at least until we have another apocalypse or something."

Barry laughed, as did Buffy before he grabbed Buffy's shoulders, and the both of them ran all the way to the Summer house.

Stopping at the front porch a few minutes later, Buffy and Barry kissed once again before they parted. It was time to say hello to the family. Barry knocked on the door while still staring at Buffy. They shifted their eyes away from each other upon hearing footsteps running towards the door from the living, and then they heard Willow's voice on the other side of the door from the dining room saying that it was probably Barry and Buffy back from the honeymoon. who Buffy and Joyce saw each other, and the former immediately dashed into the house through the front door and hugged her mother.

"Welcome back, sweetie," Joyce said as she hugged Buffy tight while a smile formed on her face. Joyce then rested her chin on Buffy's shoulder while the Slayers said that she and Barry enjoyed their honeymoon. Joyce looked up and then smiled at Barry as he walked into the house and closed the door behind him. Buffy then let Joyce go and stepped aside so that her mother could hug Barry.

Buffy then hugged Willow while Barry stepped back and then hugged Tara who welcomed him back to the "real world". It was that comment that had Buffy and Barry glance at each other as they hugged Willow and Tara respectively. It was then that the door at the end of the hallway on the second floor opened. Buffy heard footsteps on the carpeted floor and looked up the stairs at Dawn rushing towards the end of the top of the stairs, and then running down the staircase.

"Hey," Buffy said hugging her sister who jumped into her arms.

"How was Paris? Ohhhh! You have to tell me everything!" Dawn screeched as she jumped up and down on the floor while holding on tight to her sister. Before Buffy could answer, Dawn let her go and rushed to Barry and then hugged him, "Barry, welcome back."

"Hey Dawnster," Barry said as Giles walked in from the kitchen and welcomed them back. Buffy hugged him while he asked if they enjoyed themselves.

"We have pictures."

"And souvenirs," Barry said as he and Dawn parted, the speedster then placed an arm around the shoulders of his sister-in-law. He and Buffy glanced at each other for a few seconds before showing off their pictures and gifts for the family.

**Central City, several minutes after Wally escaped STAR labs with Iris; Barry missing for a little over ten months**

"Iris. Sis, I'm full," Wally said after the last body, of the fifty people in Jitters, fell to the floor dead. They were drained off their blood with Iris draining the last one and letting the eleven-year-old fall to the floor. She put on her human visage and wiped her lips with the back of her hand while Wally leaned back against a wall one of the support beams that held up the second floor. There was a pile of bodies, all whose legs were broken by Wally himself when he left Iris at the entrance. They needed to feed, and there was no way the two of them were letting anyone escape.

So Wally left Iris at the entrance to the coffee shop, and then he proceeded to break the legs of every human in the coffee shop. He even took away their phones so that they couldn't call the police before stopping next to Iris who had been watching with a smile.

They listened to the screaming people crawling helplessly on the floor; some of them even called out for the Flash while looking at Wally. They had seen the lightning bolt on his chest, and that gave them hope. Others screamed saying that it was Kid Flash who injured them, they screamed they saw a yellow blur and red lightning.

"It was Kid Flash… it was…."

"AAAAAAAH!" people looking back at Iris and Wally screamed when the two of them changed to their demonic faces.

"Don't kill them all," Iris growled before she leaped forward into the crowd of crawling humans. She landed and then bent down and lifted one woman up by the back of her neck and then pulled her close before starting to feed. Some of the the other injured customers tried to crawl away while others grabbed onto other customers… they tried to crawl over them to get away from the monsters behind them. And then there was the sound of snarls and growls as people screamed for help and in pain when Wally started to feed. Iris took her time on her second meal while Wally fed on the customers' blood at high speed.

"I only had fifteen," Iris pouted her lips five minutes later after Wally leaned back against the support column once he fed on the rest of the customers. "You're so greedy, bro."

"I need the fuel," Wally smiled.

"Come on," Iris said as she cut her wrist and watched blood trickled out of the gash. She walked to one of the victims who barely had a heart rate and crouched down, turned him over, and then fed him her blood. Iris looked up at Wally while a feeling of exhilaration went through her body as the man who was nearly drained, started to suck more of her blood.

"Feed the ones you didn't kill your blood," Iris licked her lips as she looked back at the man who was sucking her blood for another second before she pushed him away. He fell back onto the hard floor, The back of his head landing with a thud before he started to writhe in pain. Iris then stood up and listened for another faint heartbeat... the heartbeat of those near death, and walked towards a child who looked thirteen. Iris then turned her, and four others while Wally turned seven more.

"I'm hungry again, Iris," Wally said as he walked towards his sister. Iris looked around the sea of dead bodies and then looked up at the camera. As did Wally. The both of them smiled before Iris looked back down at Wally and asked if he felt up to dessert.

"What do you have in mind?" Wally said placing his arm around her shoulder.

"I think Linda's still at CCPN," Iris said, "at least she was when I left. There should still be like ten or seven people left. So…."

"I get dibs on Linda," Wally said as he looked at the dead bodies and thought about turning Linda into a vampire. Iris then smiled and nodded her head, "so, shall we?"

"We shall," Iris nodded her head with a chuckle. "Let's turn them all."

**Star City, the next day, 1000 hours.**

There was no sign of him.

It had been several hours, but there was no sign of the man known as John Constantine in Central City. Thea had been in contact with Oliver in Star City, who tried numerous times, to no avail in contacting Constantine. Oliver knew it was urgent, he heard what happened to Wally and Iris- in particular, he saw the security camera footage that was released by the press following nearly fifty people's dead bodies were found in CC Jitters by several customers going into the coffee shop for their fix. And there were another eight killed in CCPN; the former being done by Wally, and the latter done by Iris.

It was a ghastly sight for Team Arrow and Team Flash to see, as Felicity covered her mouth with her hands and gasped while Iris bit into the neck of Linda Park who was just about to walk out of the news office. Everyone stared in stunned silence as the news played, even Adrian Chase… the villain also known as Prometheus and his ally, Talia Al-Ghoul, watched as the security cameras caught footage of Iris spinning around and slamming Linda's body into other screaming and panicked people who were trying to get past her and Wally to the exit.

Everyone watched in sheer terror as Iris murdered three of them while Kid Flash, his cowl now torn off, killed the rest in a blur of yellow lightning. Iris then drank the blood of those still barely alive, while Wally fed Linda his blood after draining her. As for Iris, she was mocking the police- she stared at the security camera while feeding.

Everyone who saw the footage play on the news stared at each other, their hearts racing, before turning back towards their television screens or tablets or mobile phones. On the other side of Star City, the man known as Malcolm Merlin could only stare at the television in his dingy motel room in horror before he shot up off his bed and thought about his biological and estranged daughter.

He needed to find her and then get away to somewhere safe, and he knew exactly where Thea could be found. 'Damn all the others.' After he changed his clothes, Malcolm picked up a black bag before thundering towards the front door that opened to the outside hallway. Halfway to the door, while he stood in the sunlight streaming in from the window to his left, Malcolm suddenly stopped at the sudden appearance of a figure. His body trembled as he, with a stunned look on his face, dropped the bag containing his bow, arrows, and his black 'Dark Archer' uniform. He stared in disbelief at the figure before him and whispered to himself that it wasn't possible, that he must have been dreaming.

"Re…." Merlin's voice cracked before he caught himself. He felt his senses warning him about danger, senses that were honed after years of training with the League of Assassins and the battles during and after he left the league. But those senses were ignored as he looked at the woman in front of him. She had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and was wearing a warm coat over her dress. She stared at Merlin for a second before a smile appeared on her lips and Merlin stammered out her name, "Re… Re… Rebecca?"

"Hello, Malcolm," The figure of the woman once known as Rebecca Merlin, Malcolm's wife… his dead wife stood still as she hung her arms by her side. She looked around the room, and then back at the startled Malcolm who was shaking his head. The man had seen a lot over the years, many things that were awe inspiring and terrible… but seeing his dead wife in front of him was unexpected. He took a few steps towards Rebecca as she turned her head back to Merlin and said, "look at where you are. You have come down from your high perch to the sewers of mortals."

"Rebecca," the still startled Malcolm whispered as he took another smaller steps towards her, staring into her eyes, before placing his hand on her cheek. He wanted to feel the warmth of the woman he loved and then lost during a senseless robbery and murder in the Glades many years ago. He wanted to feel her love again with a hope deep within himself that Rebecca would understand the awful things he had to do ever since she died.

But his hand went right through her face. And it was then that Malcolm was brought down to reality. His brain screamed at him about his wife being dead, and that this wasn't her. His training screamed at him to stop being sentimental, and to take the offensive against whoever it was that used his wife's image against him.

"You cheated on me with Moira Queen," 'Rebecca' shook her head in disappointment while Malcolm stopped cold after he took several steps back towards the bag containing his bow and arrows. He stared at the image of his wife while wondering who it was that would be so cruel as to use Rebecca's image against him.

And as he slung the quiver of arrows onto his back and picked up the bow, Malcolm listed a handful of people who could be that cruel. At the same time, it got him to wonder about what it was that the image in front of him said earlier, 'How? I never told anyone about me and Moira. At least not when Rebecca was alive and…' he thought. He wondered how anyone could have known, and then wondered if whoever was controlling this image of Rebecca could also hear him.

"Whoever's controlling this image," Malcolm said with rage in his voice as he looked around the room. He hoped his voice would be carrying through whatever microphone his tormentors were using to try and torture him with his wife's image. He was absolutely certain that some technology was being used against him, and that technology had to have some sort of two-way communication since the image seemed to be able to hear what he was saying. But he still couldn't explain who was the person controlling his wife knew about his indiscretions with Moira. "I will find you, and then I will hurt you. And then, I'll kill you."

"Oh, honey," Rebecca said shaking her head before she changed her form to Damien Darhk as Malcolm's eyes went wide and he raised his bow while taking out an arrow. And then aimed it at Damien's head.

'The snake,' Malcolm thought as he put two and two together. It came to him that Malcolm was crazy and evil enough to do something like this, and the man's knowledge and ability with magic would have enabled him to take on Rebecca's image to put him at ease. At least before killing Malcolm.

"You have no idea what's coming, do you?" Damien said.

"Damien," Malcolm called out while feeling a chill go through his spine. At the same time, he wanted to put an arrow through Damien's head. "How'd you like to die again?"

"Yes, yes, I'm dead," Damien said waving his arms nonchalantly before he stepped back with a smile, "but in death… oh, boy. Wow. In death, I'm part of something bigger, Malcolm."

"Oh please," Malcolm said, "what? You learn to phase after you faked your own death? I was with you the entire time as long as Thea was protected. And she was protected. So why did you come here pretending to be my wife."

"Wait, I didn't mention who I was, did I?" Damien asked with a sneer on his face. Malcolm stared at him before shooting an arrow that went right through his forehead and impacted the back wall with a 'thunk' sound. Damien looked back at the arrow in the wall and then back at Malcolm who was aiming another arrow at him, "seriously, if I could phase, why would you even try firing an arrow? You have so much rage."

"You…." Malcolm stopped talking when Damien changed form to Laurel Lance. And Malcolm felt fear go through his body as he wondered what was going on.

"You stood there and let me die," Laurel said as Malcolm stepped back in stunned silence, "and of course you would. You're a snake." Laurel tilted her head at Malcolm, who remembered telling Damien that they needed to leave Iron Heights following the breakout. He remembered seeing Damien shoving an arrow into Laurel's gut.

And Malcolm knew Laurel died.. he heard about it on the news.

"You killed me," Robert Queen said taking the place of Laurel as Malcolm stared in shock, "and for what? Your petty vengeance?"

"Was I worth it?" asked Moira who replaced Robert's form as Malcolm yelled at her to keep silent. It was then that he heard heavy footsteps coming from the hallway outside as if something heavy was walking his way. Malcolm was trying to make sense of what was going on as the thuds got louder, while Moira mocked him, "You killed me, Malcolm. You took my husband and children away from me."

"Slade killed you," Malcolm said shaking his head, his arrow still aimed at her, "not me,"

"You blew up the Queens Gambit," she said with calmness on her face, "you set up the chain of events that brought Oliver back to Star City. And Slade followed him, his anger at Oliver unabated. Slade killed me to punish Oliver… he chose me over that whining brat, Thea."

"That's our daughter," Malcolm hissed, "and that's how I know you… whoever you are? You are not Moira Queen." And then the door started to shake as if someone on the other side was pounding down on it.

"Oh," said Moira as Malcolm aimed the arrow at the pounding on the door, "but I am, Malcolm. I am Moira Queen, but I am also Damien Darhk, Rebecca Merlin, Tommy Merlin, and…"

"Don't say his name," hissed Malcolm as he turned his head to Moira who had a smile on her face before shifting her form to that of Tommy. And the Dark Archer turned to 'Tommy' and shook his head while his face twisted in pain at the memory of their final encounter before the young man's death.

"I died because of you, Dad," 'Tommy said as the pounding on the door stopped, but even though the pounding on the door stopped. Malcolm could hear the pounding of his own heart in his chest. He tightened his grip on the arrow which was ready to fly when the door to the room was torn off its hinges just as 'Tommy' vanished. It flew into the room as a startled Malcolm turned and fired the arrow at the figure standing at the door where dust from the shattered door frame and the concrete were falling onto the floor. The arrow was caught by a blur that stopped and stood next to the first figure.

As the dust cleared, Malcolm could make out that it was both Iris and Wally; the latter who threw the arrow onto the floor.

"Tsk tsk tsk," Iris said wagging her finger at Malcolm who fired another arrow, and then another, and another; all of which were knocked out of the air. "The Master's source was right; Malcolm Merlin is here."

Wally, with his cowl, torn off, could see Malcolm reaching for another arrow. This time, he ran in at super speed and grabbed the bow, threw it to one side. He then grabbed the arrow out of Malcolm's hand and threw that to one side. He then grabbed Malcolm, who was standing under the sunlight streaming in through the window and knocked him to the wall. A wall that was away from the sunlight as Iris walked into the motel room and turned towards Malcolm who was laying on the floor after impacting the wall.

"Go, Wally," Iris said, "find the other two that the Master told us about." Iris then tilted her head as Wally dashed to her side, kissed his sister on the cheek, and then ran off. He was running at super speed under the bright sunlight… his speed protecting his vampire body from the effects of the sun as long as he didn't stop. He ran all the way to a warehouse where he saw a woman standing next to a table of weapons while watching the news report with Adrian Chase.

"What do you know?" Wally said as the two of them turned towards him with eyes wide open, "the Master's source was right." Adrian and Talia stared at each other as chills went up to their spines, and then back at Wally who 'vamped out' and bore his fangs at the two of them. "I'm still so hungry." Before Adrian and Talia could make a move, Wally ran at super speed and grabbed Talia. He latched onto her neck with his fangs and started draining her while Adrian grabbed a weapon and was dashing towards Wally. But the latter sped away to another section of the dark warehouse and fed on the still struggling Talia in peace.

After she was drained, Wally threw her body to one side. With blood dripping down the side of his mouth, Wally then rushed to Adrian and drained him as well. As for Malcolm? His body lay drained of blood as Iris, who wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, stood up just as Wally rushed into the room at super speed and asked if she was ready.

"That was quick, sis," Wally said staring at the pale Malcolm. He scanned the dead body with his eyes and then noticed the dislocated arms. He then turned to Iris with an eyebrow raised, "he gave you some trouble?"

"Tried to use some fancy technique to run away," Iris replied looking down at Malcolm's body, "so I pulled his arms off their sockets after taking him down again, and then shattered his knees."

"Don't you just love this strength?" Wally exclaimed excitedly.

"Let's go," Iris nodded her head, "the ones we turned last night would be waking up in the Central City morgue tonight, we need to be ready for them." Wally then nodded his head at what Iris said as the sibling's stood face to face. Wally was about to grab Iris so that they could take off at super speed to Central City since they had orders from the Master not to harm anyone from Team Arrow. However, before they could leave, Iris widened her eyes in surprise as she stared at the figure over Wally's shoulder.

"Mom?" Iris whispered. Wally stared at Iris before spinning around and came face to face with Francine West.

"M.. mom?" Wally whispered with tears welling in his eyes, "I.. how…"

"I am the Master's source, my two babies," Francine said with a smile on her face. Iris leaped forward to hug the woman, but she only managed to go through the image and land on the bed behind her. Wally stared in stunned silence as Francine turned and chuckled at Iris who stared back at her with curiosity etched on her face while getting off the bed.

"Who are you?" a suspicious Wally and Iris asked.

"I am your mother, and I am also others who died," Francine said as she cycled through various figures the both of them knew, including Laurel, before reverting to Francine, "don't worry, Joe will be with us very soon."

"I… mom? Is that really you?" Wally asked.

"I'm in here," Francine said, "now, Iris? We really need to talk about Barry?"

"Barry?" Iris said as she opened her eyes wide, "you.. you know where he is?"

"You'll see him soon, honey," Francine said, "you'll turn him when we go to where he is with a vampire army. Hell is coming to this Earth, kids. And Joe and the rest of Team Arrow and Team Flash will be getting a ringside seat at their failure as Hell rises."

"And Barry?"

Francine smiled before changing her form to a shorter blonde girl, "Wait till I tell you who he married, I'm sure you'll want to tear her apart." Upon hearing Barry was married, a feeling of rage and sadness swept through Iris. She wanted to cry… she wanted to cry so much. At the same time, she just wanted to kill and destroy everything around her as her rage built up at Barry leaving her for someone else after only ten months.

"Who did he marry? And where is she?" Iris hissed at the stranger standing in front of her with a smirk on her face.

**Central City, at that same time.**

At ten in the morning, during a press conference at the steps of City Hall, Oliver was urging the citizens of Star City to be vigilant but go about their lives. He added that people needed to go to the police if they happened to see or hear anything unusual.

At that same time, Thea was walking through the hallways of the Central City morgue with Caitlin and Joe by her side. She was in civilian clothes, as was Joe and Caitlin when the three of them entered the Central City Police Station. Their first stop was to go through the throngs of officers in the station on the way to see Captain Singh, and this was the time when Thea and Caitlin felt heartbroken for Joe. The older man's fellow officers glared at him as he walked past, although there were some who approached him and patted his shoulder while shaking their heads.

"Sorry, Joe," they mumbled. Others asked with thinly veiled contempt for the actions of his children, "Sorry, Detective. Did you know your children were meta-humans?" There were other questions being asked of him as he passed by, "are you okay?", "How could you not have known?" And this included several grunts and dismissive looks at him.

But there was nothing Joe could say or do. The faces of his two children were plastered on the news, their actions being repeated hour after hour in every gory detail. The bodies of the men, women, and children they killed having been put out to the news reports playing on television. The entire world had seen what was happening in Central City. And Joe could feel fear and anger rising all around him. Reaching the Captain's office, Joe saw two armed Army soldiers standing outside the door… and through the wooden and glass door, through the shuttered blinds that covered the windows of Captain Singh's office, he could hear the Captain and a very familiar voice screaming at the top of each other's lungs.

"He didn't know! HE's my best detective and of course, he'd tell me about something like this!"

Joe felt heartbroken. Very, very heartbroken. Like millions.. no, billions of people around the world, he had seen the footage of his daughter and unmasked son killing. And feeding. And then feeding the dead bodies their own blood. It was those images being relayed to the planet that was playing in his mind.

It was a heavy weight to bear.

Joe was brought out of his thoughts by the familiar voice on the other end of the door… a very gruff voice exclaiming that the Captain couldn't protect Joe for much longer. And that he, General Eiling, would capture Kid-Flash and Iris West. Joe glanced at both Thea and Caitlin, the latter who was holding onto his arm. It was just then that the door swung open inwards, and General Eiling eyed Joe. He thundered out of the room and came face to face with Joe while the other detectives and police officers turned their head to watch.

"Where is he?"

"I… who?" Joe asked as a heavy weight seemed to fall onto his shoulder as he stared at Eiling.

"The Flash? Kid Flash? Your daughter?" Eiling asked, "where are there?"

"I don't know," Joe whispered back as he stared into Eiling's cold and calculating eyes.

"You…"

"Leave," Thea said as she tilted her head and smiled sweetly at the General, "I believe Detective West is here to talk to Captain Singh. I think we're next." Thea smiled at the General while Caitlin started to feel her body starting to get colder and colder. She remembered the problems the General caused for them, especially for Barry and Ronnie last year.

However, she closed her eyes and regained her calmness as she took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling. BY the time she opened her eyes, Eiling and Thea were glaring at each other for a few more seconds before the gray haired General turned to Joe and said that he was going to find the "three of them", and if Joe knew what was best for himself… then he would stay out of the way.

The General then motioned towards the guards, and the three of them walked away.

"Joe!" yelled the Captain from inside the office. Joe took a deep breath and then turned to Caitlin who smiled back at him. He then turned to Thea who tightened her hold on his hand, and the both of them walked into the office where Captain Singh was standing behind his desk. Joe and the two young women, one of whom closed the door behind her, saw the worried look on the Captain's face. The Captain then sighed and motioned at Joe to take a seat, and then glanced at the two young women. And then back to Joe.

"We… we need to talk, Captain," Joe said as he took a seat while Caitlin sat next to him and Thea was standing protectively behind the both of them. She was looking around the room while keeping her ears and eyes out for any trouble. In the meantime, Joe leaned forwards as the Captain asked him about Wally and Iris.

Joe looked at the man with tired eyes and hunched his shoulders forward before nodding his head and saying "Yes" after being asked if Wally really was Kid Flash. "There's something… " Joe then sighed and leaned back on his chair while rubbing his forehead. He put his arm down after rubbing his forehead a few seconds later and stared at the Captain before speaking again, "yeah, Wally is Kid Flash. Look, something happened a week ago, well… a little over a week ago."

"Okay," the Captain nodded his head, curious, as he glanced at Thea and Caitlin. And then back to Joe.

"Iris and Wally died," Joe said as Singh's eyebrows shot up in shock.

**STAR Labs, at that same time.**

While Joe, Caitlin, and Thea were talking to Captain Singh, Cisco was looking through even more Earths in the multiverse. He had his goggles over his eyes as the breach he opened shifted from one Earth to another- the young man had experienced enough now to be able to sense hundreds of Earths for their Barry Allen. But no matter how hard he tried, there was no sign of the Earth One Barry.

But Cisco continued to push on.

In the meantime, while he was seated on a gurney in the Cortex so that he wouldn't collapse onto the floor if he got exhausted, Laurel was in her civilian clothes as she looked through the computers in the Cortex console.

She was searching for the myth and legends of vampires; their strengths and weaknesses, and other peculiarities. Occasionally she would glance up from the monitor as she watched Cisco try his very best to find Barry through blue and silver hued water-like breaches into the multiverse, and then she would look back down at the computers and continue her search for more information.

And there was a lot of information present and given the various mythologies of vampires that exist, it was difficult to separate myth from what could be real. She was sure of one thing, that vampires feared the cross. When Cisco awoke after being tossed aside by Iris back in the morgue, he told them about how Iris reacted to the cross around his neck. 'That's one possible support of the myth that crosses are harmful to vampires,' Laurel thought as she recalled the call she received from Quentin. The man was worried, his tone of voice expressed as much, and asked if the video released by the press was true.

Laurel felt Quentin's heart fall when she replied 'yes' to his question. She promised to be safe and elicited that same promise from him. Laurel told him to stay close to Oliver, that she was afraid for the both of them, "I'm afraid something would happen to you, Daddy. Stay close to Oliver and… and be careful."

"They.. they really drank blood?" Quentin asked in a quivering voice earlier that morning when the camera feed was released on the news.

"Yeah," Laurel remembered replying as she looked at the screen in front of her. Her eyes were moving to and fro as she read the words on the screen. Some myths claimed that garlic was dangerous to vampires, while others explained that Vampires was simply afraid of the root vegetable. Other myths said that garlic was simply a minor annoyance. There were other myths and legends, and it was still unknown which ones were true, and which ones were not.

"Nothing!" exclaimed Cisco as he ripped off the goggles and dropped them next to him on the bed, "I can't find him anywhere."

"The multiverse is a big place, Cisco," Laural said as she looked up and then leaned back in her seat, "take a break. It's been what? Nearly two hours straight?"

"I need to work faster, and better," Cisco groaned while rubbing his forehead as his voice calmed down. His head hung low for a few seconds before looking up with a forlorn expression on his face, "this is really bad, Laurel."

"I know," she replied while remembering the footage of the multiple murders. She sighed before glancing back down at the screen when a website she had clicked a few seconds ago finally loaded. She skimmed through what it said about the mythical weaknesses of a vampire. "Umm… Cisco," she called while leaning forward and motioning him over. Sighing, Cisco hopped off the gurney and walked the short distance to the chair next to Laurel. He sat down next to Laurel and looked at the screen. He read through the area that Laurel was pointing a finger, and then his eyes went wide open before the two of them looked at each other.

As he and Laurel turned back to the screen, the young man recalled that it had been a week since Iris and Wally were killed. A week since the team could say 'vampire' without wondering if Iris had simply been infected by a virus that spread upon biting down on another human being, and then having that blood transferred to the victim.

That's what Caitlin thought. That's what Laurel and Thea thought- despite the latter's experience with the supernatural, the existence of Vampires was a bridge too far. It was the same for Joe and Team Arrow as well. But Caitlin ran tests for a whole week on Wally's blood... she even had it sent to her mother, a renowned geneticist to check for anything abnormal. But they found nothing, even after extensive retests of the sample.

There wasn't a virus. And there were no technological explanations.

And then there were reports of the people who died at CCPN and Jitters being seen around the city at night. They were just whispers and rumors- rumors that exploded when the family of Linda Park was found dead. Their blood drained from their bodies. The families and friends of the other victims were killed as well during the week that Wally's blood was being tested. But those people didn't rise.

Then people started to disappear. The missing person cases in CCPD ballooned over the past few days with men, women, and even children just vanished. There were more bodies found in alleyways or parks, and by the time Thea and Laurel were at the scene... the perpetrators had gone.

Everyone thought that it was Wally and Iris who was responsible, but cameras showed various others murdering those people. Their faces couldn't be seen… but the footage showed these people feeding on their victims.

As Laurel continued to look through the screens at the console for more information, the entire room started to shake. She looked up at a surprised Cisco who hopped off the gurney and rushed towards the console. Just as he reached the console, Laurel shot up off the seat and stared at lines of fire that appeared several feet off the floor. The two of them stared at each other as the room groaned while the lines of fire kept on burning until it created a rectangle in the air.

"What the…" Before Laurel could finish what she wanted to say, there was a laud animalistic roar that reverberated throughout the entire building. And then there was the stench as Cisco and Laurel covered their noses as the burning edges of the rectangle faded to form a wooden door… a door that had a pentagram scorched onto the surface.

"That's something you don't see every day," yelled Cisco over the loud growls and roars. Laurel was prepared to release her scream as the door swung open, and a man in a brown overcoat rushed out before turning around and slammed the door shut. He then stepped back as the door shook, along with a pounding sound throughout the cortex. The man then mumbled something in a language Laurel and Cisco didn't understand.

And suddenly, the door vanished. As did the sulphuric stench that had been around them. The man was panting as he turned around and, with smoke rising from his body, he whispered in an English accent, "I.. I'm Constantine and we are buggered." AS Laurel and Cisco rushed towards him, the man then fell on his knees and collapsed onto the floor.

"He's alive," Laurel said after checking his pulse. She then looked up at Cisco and continued, "call Joe and the others. Tell them that I think the man who could help us is here."

TBC.

 


	25. Chapter 25

**The Waverider, somewhere in the timestream.**

Sara 'White Canary' Lance was piloting the Waverider in their search for the missing Rip Hunter while the rest of the Legends, with newest member Amara, were doing their own things elsewhere on the time-ship. Sara's mind was on Rip's location while another part of her yearned to return to her own time to spend some moment with Laurel, the Earth One Laurel's counterpart from Earth Two. Sara remembered how devastated she was upon learning about Laurel's death, and how she put all her anger into hunting and then kill Damien Darhk. In the end, she didn't kill him when they met in the past several weeks ago, and there was a part of her that hoped she wouldn't regret it.

Then there was the question of the identity of the speedster who took him away from her grasp. There were so many questions and, despite being time travellers, there was so little time to relax. Sara wanted to go to Central City where she first learned to her confusion, which later gave way to joy, of how an alternate Earth Laurel Lance arrived on Earth One. Sara wanted to spend more time with Earth Two's Laurel… she wanted to get to know more about her.

And that's what she resolved to do once Rip was found, and Dahrk and his minions stopped from doing whatever it was that they planned in their search for the Spear of Destiny.

'Which is nothing good,' Sara thought to herself as she looked out at the greenish tunnel in front of her. As she sat back in her seat, her hands on the controls, Sara had this odd feeling suddenly go through her entire body. It was as if she was being watched. Looking over her left shoulder, she found no-one looking back at her. She was the only one on the bridge. But the feeling of being watched still stayed with her, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Gideon, do have a lock on Rip's next location?" Sara asked the artificial consciousness of the ship. However, she received no reply. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, Sara looked around at the console in front of her for any signs of a malfunction, but found none. "Gideon?" Sara asked again as she looked back up at the viewport in front of her, "Gideon?" It was then that Sara knew something was very wrong.

Suddenly, there was a violent jerk which forced the restraints around Sara's shoulders to dig into her flesh through her shirt. Sara gritted her teeth while she tried to gain control of the Waverider which was violently shaking before coming to a stop in the timestream tunnel.

Once the ship came to a full stop, Sarah removed the restrainsts… her chest and shoulders stinging in pain as she got up while calling for Gideon, with her voice raised.

"She's not here, Sara," a male voice said just as she turned around, "at least not anymore". There, standing next to the Central Console, was Rip Hunter with his hands in his dark brown overcoat with a look of remorse etched on his face. "Where were you, Sara?"

"Rip?" Sara said shaking her head as she cautiously walked towards the man. There was something, a tinge of fear from the depths of her soul, that told Sara there was something very wrong- that the person in front of her wasn't Rip. Sara could feel it… a cool breeze out of nowhere that caused goosebumbs on her skin to form. But Sara couldn't tell why she was having these feelings, just that she felt danger. However, this was their lost friend standing in front of her… their missing friend. "Rip, how… how are you here?"

"You were too late, Sara," Rip said as he took a step forward, "you and the Legends should have been there to help me. I was in the past, my mind was… well… gone." Sarah listened in stunned silence as Rip explained that being in the past for a prolonged time made him literally forget he used to be a Time Master, "I forgot you, Martin, Jax, the other Legends."

"I…"

"Then one day a funny thing happened, I was on a film set… and yes, I made some independent movies… anyway, I digress," Rip shrugged while walking around the central console as a stunned Sara looked on. All the while, Rip kept on staring at the current Captain of the Waverider, "something funny happened to me. These people in cloaks and tattoos over their bodies surrounded me one night and… well, I died."

"Rip? Sara whispered as she shook her head while her eyes narrowed in confusion, "you're right…"

"Here?" Sara opened her eyes wide open and stepped back. Where Rip was once standing in his brown overcoat, now a version of Sara stood in her White Canary outfit. Sara, the real Sara, shook her head as she took another step back while the fingers on her trembling right hand gripped the top of the Captain's chair. The other Sara, the one who was once Rip, walked around the central console until she was standing with her arms folded over her chest as she shifted to take on the form of Ras Al Ghul.

"You," Sara growled as she narrowed her eyes while her hand grabbing the top of the seat tightened its grip until the knuckles turned white. Sara remembered the man once known as the 'demons head', the man who ruthlessly trained her in combat when she was part of the League of Assassins. The only problem was that Ras was dead. And she wanted to know how it was that the creature in front of her took on her form as well. So Sara demanded to know what was going on, "who are you?"

"Ras," the man sneered, "obviously I'm not the only one in here. But I'm part of something so much bigger, so much more ancient." Ras changed his form back to Sara, a smile on her face as she continued, "you have no idea what you meatbags have coming." The real Sara called out for Gideon once again while the other Sara laughed before taking on Rip's form. 'Rip' smirked as Sara waited for a response from the artificial consciousness.

"What happened to Gideon?" Sara demanded a she stared back at 'Rip'.

"My associate…" Rip stopped talking and looked over his shoulder at the port hallway leading to the bridge when they heard shouts. Sara looked behind 'Rip' when she heard Amaya giving out a bloodcurdling yell after an audible 'klang' sound.

"Amaya!" yelled Sara as she dashed forward through 'Rip'. Her mind was running with one question after another as to what was happening, as to why the Waverider suddenly stopped followed by that intense jolt. She was worried that their could have been an explosion, 'but the others would have called me, why haven't they called, and….' Sara stopped after turning around a corner and coming face to face with something she didn't think was possible. She stood next to a stunned Amaya, whose eyes were widened in terror and wet with unshed tears, as she stared at the back of Nate 'Steel' Heywood.

The man, who along with Amaya, has been on the Waverider for about a year. And in that time, he discovered that he could transform his entire body into steel. And thus his codename, Steel. The steel that his body transformed to was supposed to be virtually indestructible; he even stopped a fast-moving train using that body by standing in front of it. Of course, he was pushed back by the force of the train, but he still stopped it after being pushed back for several minutes. But now, in the hallway of the Waverider, both Sara and Amaya saw blood pouring out of the hole formed by a bloody fist that smashed Nate's chest and back. Shards of metal and blood were on the flood just as the bloody fist was slowly being pulled back… and then Nate's limp body was flung to one side.

And before the two women stood a woman with a maniacal smile on her face. Amara and Sara could make out that her red dress, or what remained of it, was scorched but her skin showed no signs of burning. Her two arms were covered in blood as well. Amaya and Sara were speechless when 'Rip' suddenly appeared behind them, "I see you've met my associate."

"You killed him!" Amaya yelled at the woman, and then turned at Rip before swinging a punch. Her eyes widened in horror when her fist went through his body.

"I tried it on the bridge," Sara said as she stared at the unknown blonde woman who was panting as she looked at her blood covered arms, and then back at Sara with a crazed look that brought a cold chill running up her spine. Sara then grabbed Amaya's hand and, while staring at the woman as one would while staring down a predator, asked Amaya, "why didn't you call, and…"

"That would be me," Rip said as he walked around the two women and came to a stop facing the mysterious woman, "I had Glory here disable the main controls in the engine room, just before having her smash through the data processing core and tearing out Gideon's heart." Rip then stared at Sara with a smile, "this mind has so many secrets and so much knowledge. His mind and the mind of Dr. Harrison Wells will be the method of my vengeance."

"How about my vengeance?" Glory growled.

"Oh," Rip said before changing form to an unknown blonde woman, "you're going to get in line, little god. There's the Master who wants to kill me again, Adam, the blue Smurf, and now little Iris West wants to tear me apart."

"Who…. Who are you?" Amaya asked in tears when she heard the new blonde calling the blonde who just killed Nate, a god.

"Apparently, I don't exist in your tiny little dimension," the bloodied blonde growled before turning to the other blonde, "I want to go to my home. I want my Key."

"You will," the blonde, the First in Buffy's form, said, "the Key's past its use date, but you get to keep the vessel until it's time to use it again."

"Then take Ben away from me, and I'll…"

"Ben's your control," Buffy said with a sneer, "so that you don't go against my express wishes. That's why I brought you back with you still being imprisoned in him but, I made sure that you control the body."

"You still haven't explained how you brought me back."

"The laws in this dimension are different that your own," Buffy said ignoring Sara and Amaya, "it's easier to bring those who have died in this dimension. And as for you specifically? Well, we're surrounded by powerful mystical forces in the timestream, so bringing a god back from the dead here? No problem."

"Now I finish my meal without any other interruptions," the bloodied blonde said turning her head to stare at Sara and Amaya, who were poised to do battle despite the terror permeating their bodies.

"No," Buffy said before changing to Rip and facing the two women, "Sara, Amaya, listen to me. Glory here has already killed Martin, made Jax into a bubbling fool, Mr. Rory's a stain on the wall after he was made a bumbling fool, and… and well…" Rip looked down at the bloodied Nate, and then back up at Amaya and Sara, "he's gone."

"You forgot about me!" yelled Ray as he enlarged in size and delivered a sucker punch to the left side of Glory's face. The god stumbled back thanks to the surprise, but soon regained her bearings as she blocked another punch while staring at the helmet covering Ray's face. Glory smiled wildly while she grabbed Ray's metallic fist in one hand, and his throat in another.

"I haven't forgotten you, Dr Palmer," sighed Rip before he told Glory to let him go.

"I'm still hungry," Glory tilted her head while Amara was reaching for the talisman around her neck. She was about to call on the spirit of an elephant when Glory turned her head and glared at the dark skinned woman, "you touch that thing, I'll snap his head into two, and then I'll have your brain."

"Glory," ordered Rip, "let him go."

"This form is too lenient," Glory said before flinging Ray, in his armour, effortlessly at Sara and Amaya. The two women parted as Ray shot past them, and then hit the wall plating with a 'clang' that reverberated through the walls. And then a thud as he fell to the floor. Glory then walked to Rip and sneered, "I have to say, I prefer the Slayer."

"Or you?" Rip said before changing form to Glory. The real Glory locked her jaw and stepped back in anger. The fake Glory then turned to the three humans and shook her head before taking Martin Stein's form, "you have a minute to go before Jax, as you would say, goes nuclear."

"Martin?" Sara said.

"There's no way you could have known that I died," Stein said, "now I'm telling you three to go. Leave for STAR Labs. You'll be safe from the explosion. A time-space explosion that would crack the dimensional walls of the multiverse."

"Martin," Sara shook her head as she tried to wrap around what he was saying, "why….?"

"Why are you helping us?" Amaya demanded as Sara held her back from getting any closer. Sara was a trained assassin, but even she had a cold fear grab her heart as she stared at the blonde in the red dress, "SHE KILLED HIM!"

"I can't do anything about that," Stein said as he took on Nate's form. It was then that Amaya stepped back in stunned silence while Ray slowly got to his feet, "Amaya, go to STAR Labs. Give them a message."

"What message?" Sara asked.

Nate's face took on a dark and sinister tone as he sneered at them, "there is no more hope. The end is here, Hell is here. You will all watch as the world you know falls and burns into ashes."

"I….."

"The Hellmouth is opening," Stein said.

"We…." Ray spoke as he stood up on his feet.

"You have one more minute," Stein said as he replaced Nate before turning to Sara. "Sara? I'd run."

"Lets go," Sara said as she grabbed the shrieking Amaya, who wanted to kill Glory, "Let's go! Ray! Move it."

"Oh well," Stein changed to Rory who was holding onto his heat gun as the remining Legends ran as fast as they could down another hallway, "it was fun while it lasted."

**Central City University, Earth Two, a few minutes ago.**

Jessie had no idea about what was happening on Earth One. In fact, she just rushed out of her only class that day, and was about to head to the library when the communicator around her wrist started to beep. With her book bag slung on her shoulder, Jessie stopped before raising her arm upwards while waving to her friends who rushed past her. They made quick plans for lunch in an hour before Jessie flipped open the communicator and narrowed her eyes at the message.

"STAR Labs, 911!" the message read as Cassie's eyes shifted to the end of the message on the small screen, "from Dad." Cassie closed the cover and then looked around her surroundings. There were still a lot of students hurrying about their day, and Josie knew they would be too into their own business to notice a single girl out of a crowd suddenly take off at super speed.

And that's what she did. Jessie took off at super speed with lightning trailing behind her. She ran out the entrance of the university, and then zigzagged past the vehicles on the roads before making it to STAR Labs, and her father's office.

Once she came to a stop in the office, Jessie sensed that there was something off. The air felt heavy as she looked at the morose look on Harry's face. He was seated on his chair behind his desk with his shoulders hunched forward and his hands on the table. Jessie narrowed her eyes at Harry, and then noticed that there was someone else in the room to her left side.

Turning her head, Jessie was about to smile before rushing off to hug Cisco who stood up from the couch in Harry's office. However, Jessie's mind was swimming with questions as she stopped herself upon noticing the look on Cisco's face. She knew that Cisco and the rest of team Flash were looking for Barry, and she regretted not being able to help even after stopping the invasion by the beings known as the Dominators. With the damage to cities around the world, Jessie wanted to help rebuild. Now, she stared at Cisco's face, and then she turned to look at the expression on Harry's face, and then she turned back to looking at Cisco.

And her heart fell.

There was only one reason why Harry would look so upset. Only one reason why Cisco would have such a forlorn look on his face.

"Is… Is Barry dead?" Jessie asked with a quiver in her voice. "Ci… Cisco? Is.. is Barry…"

"It's not Barry," Cisco whispered as Harry walked around his desk, his face darkened, and then placed his hands on Jessie's shoulders. "It…."

"It… it's Wally and Iris," Cisco shivered as Jessie's eyes went wide, "I…."

"What happened?" Jessie demanded as her hands were clenched into fists and lightning crackled on her eyes.

"We…" Cisco stopped himself before shaking his head. He already told the stunned Harry when he arrived on Earth Two that Wally and Iris were dead. And now, with Jessie with her father together, Cisco needed to tell them the rest of the story; that they were the very stuff of nightmares that were thought to be myths. He needed to tell the two of them that Iris and Wally were vampires. So Cisco took a deep breath, and said, "I need the both of you to trust me. And I need for you to keep an open mind."

Cisco then took another deep breath before saying, "and I need for you two to sit down."

**STAR Labs, Earth One.**

Laurel thought that it was time Harry and Jessie were told the truth about both Wally and Iris. She told Cisco that they'd need back-up; that she had a very bad feeling about what was about to happen. Laurel remembered the door that formed out of thin air before the man called Constantine swung it open and then shut it closed behind him. But in that split second of the door being open, Laurel knew in the fear that gripped her heart, that she saw lakes of fire and entities that were writhing in pain as they burned while chained to cliffs, 'was that hell? Did… I don't want to believe it but… was that hell?' It was twenty minutes after Constantine arrived twenty minutes since Cisco called Thea and the others back to STAR Labs while she placed Constantine on one of the beds in the small infirmary connected to the Cortex by a door. And it was only a few minutes ago that she finished talking to Oliver to tell him that Constantine had arrived.

Now, after she finished talking to Oliver, Laurel walked over to the scruffy bearded man laying on one on the beds. His overcoat was still covering him- an overcoat that stank of sulphur. Laurel, for all her toughness, had a part of herself that regretted telling Cisco to head to Earth Two.

It was mainly because she felt as if there was something or someone watching her. Laurel turned around, with Constantine behind her, when she heard whispered mumbling. She was breathing hard as her skin erupted in goosebumbs.

'I swore I heard my name,' Laurel told herself before she turned back towards Constantine.

"Cisco!"

"Laurel!"

Laurel breathed a sigh of relief as she turned around when she heard her name being called by someone familiar. She heard the footsteps running down the hall before exclaiming, "Yea, I'm here!" Laurel walked out of the small infirmary and into the Cortex proper as Caitlin, Thea, and Joe rushed in. Laurel pointed Caitlin to the unconscious Constantine before turning back to Thea and Joe, "I sent Cisco over to Earth Two. I thought Harry and Jessie needed to know about…"

"Guys!" Caitlin yelled just after a male voice got the groups attention after yelling out, "The rising darkness!" Everyone rushed back into the infirmary just as Constantine, who was now sitting upright and rubbing his forehead while groaning, asked if he was in STAR Labs. Caitlin said 'yes, while trying to check his pulse and measure his blood pressure as the others gathered at the foot of the bed.

"Mr. Constantine?" Joe asked.

"I… I… I need a smoke, mate," he panted looking up at Joe, and then at Caitlin who was putting a blood pressure cuff around his upper arm, "well, hello there."

"No smoking," Caitlin said before pulling the cuff tight around the man's upper arm with a jerk. Constantine yelped before mumbling to himself that he should have had "a smoke in hell". Sighing, he then avoided the strange look from Caitlin before turning to Joe and the others.

"I take it this is the welcoming committee?" Constantine asked, "STAR Labs? Yeah? Anyway, I got Oliver's message. Sorry I was late. Something tried to do its bloody best to make sure I was trapped in hell."

"Wait wait," Joe waved his hands, "hell as in…"

"Yea," Laurel shivered as she remembered the sight she saw, "that Hell."

"Fire and brimstone?" Constantine said, "yeah. Like the lady said, that Hell. I…."

"We need your help in stopping two Vampires," Thea said with a serious look on her face. She wanted to get to the point.

"I…. wait…. Vampires? Here?" Constantine then shook his head before saying it was easy to kill vampires, "you could check the internet for ways to kill 'em. And in case you're wondering, yea.. they die with a wooden stake through their chest."

"Ok," Thea nodded her head, "that's good to know. But we need to cure them. We need to cure these two, and.."

"They're my son and daughter," Joe said. Constantine looked at the man with a look that simply screamed how sorry he was, and that Joe would not like the answer he was about to give hims.

"I'm sorry, but they're dead," Constantine said shaking his head, "their souls are gone. Bodies taken over by demons that crave blood. If you want to give their bodies peace, then a stake through their…"

"There has to be a way to…."

"I'm sorry," Constantine said. He was about to say something else when he suddenly stopped. He narrowed his eyes and looked around. The man saw Caitlin again as she took off the cuff. He then looked away towards Thea, and the Joe, and then he turned his head to the door that looked out into the Cortex proper. "Oh my," he whispered. Constantine looked back at the group and felt a chill go through his body, "this is the epicentre."

"Excuse me?" Joe asked with a confused look on his face.

"How could I have missed this?" he whispered as he turned his body around and hopped off the bed while Caitlin went, "hey", and then rushed around the bed demanding that he take a seat. Constantine turned his head to look at the light-haired blonde, and then turned his head back to the door that led out to the Cortex once again, "you have no idea what's here do you? Has there been any strange happenings? Anything out of place?"

"Like?" Joe asked, "I mean Central City is known for meta-humans, and…"

"No," Constantine said as he turned to Joe, "no. I mean strange. Water turning to blood, or strange voices when there's no one there, or…"

"Werewolves?" Thea asked. Constantine turned back to the young woman as she talked about the man they captured months ago. And then another time after he killed two people as a werewolf. She continued that the man had been in their basement, in a steel reinforced room, after the second capture every time there was a full moon.

"For three nights," Constantine asked.

"Yea," Caitlin responded.

"And then something made my daughter, Iris, into a vampire," Joe said. "and then she killed my son, and… and…"

"I'm sorry, but…"

"My son is Kid Flash," Joe said. And Constantine's heart dropped.

"Excuse me?" Constantine whispered. He knew about the Flash and his partner, Kid Flash. Hell, he had seen them in the news back in England, before he had to travel to Hell on a mission of mercy, which he failed. But he had no idea that the Flash, or rather Kid Flash, could be turned into a vampire., "I…"

"The Flash, my other son, has been missing in action for months, and…"

"And you'll see him soon," a familiar voice said as everyone turned towards the door that led out into the Cortex. It was Iris. It was Iris standing at the central console with her arms crossed over her chest.. wearing the same clothes she died in a few days ago. Joe stumbled through the doorway into the Cortex, followed by a stunned Thea and Caitlin. And behind them was Constantine who yelled at the others to keep Joe away from Iris.

"Who are you?" Constantine demanded as he stepped in front of the others. He knew there was something very wrong, especially since he couldn't sense any lifeforce- not even a demonic force. Thea and Caitlin held onto Joe whose eyes welled up as Iris stared at him with eyes full of sorrow before looking away.

"I'm Iris West," she sweetly replied looking at Constantine as she walked through the central console much to everyone's stunned expressions. She then reached the other end of the console and turned around before changing to the form of Wally, "and I'm Wally West." Thea's eyes then widened when Wally changed to Malcolm Merlyn, "and… well…" Malcolm said waving his hands while looking at Thea, "hello, Thea."

"What is this?" asked Thea shaking her head as she took a step forward, "Malcolm?"

"My little girl," Moira Queen said as Thea's eyes widened.

"I'm so sorry, honey," Robert Queen said as Moira morphed into the man Thea thought was her biological father before finding out the truth. Robert then turned to Francine who looked back at a stunned Joe, "all of you will watch the world fall. Every world fall, before I finally have my vengeance against the power keeping me back from fully manifesting."

"Who are you!" yelled Constantine rushing forward, his open outstretched hands shimmering with magical energy that was prepared to protect the people behind him.

"You failed to save my soul, Constantine," said a little girl as his eyes widened. He thought back to the exorcism he conducted several years ago to save the soul of a little girl. He failed, but his spell was about to release a demon into the world. So, the man sold his soul for power to push the demon back to hell. And now, his hands tried not to tremble at the sight of his greatest failure, "you think you can stop what's coming, little boy?"

"I…."

"You failed, John," said a beautiful dark haired tanned woman in a suit that was shimmering with her long legs showing through glittering pair of short-shorts; she looked like one of those magicians assistants.

"Zat… Zatana?" John said, his head shaking.

"The fasted man alive?" Zatana shook her head, "there was no time to react. No time for a spell."

"No time," said another woman, and then another younger man, followed by several others. All of whom Constantine looked away and closed his eyes.

"Look at me, John," Zatana said as Constantine opened his eyes and stared at the woman in front of him, "you lost. All of you lost. Your magical support is gone, John. Wally West was quick… hell, he snapped my neck. The others? Well… he surely did his job."

"Wally wouldn't…"

"Shhhh," Zatana smiled at Joe and then changed to Wally as a breach opened. Constantine stared stunned at the breach before telling the others to stay behind him. He was about to fire a magical blast when Joe held him back, saying that a friend was coming through. And just as he finished speaking, Harry, Cisco, and Jesse in her uniform, jumped through. The three of them stared at the surprised group, and then at Wally who was smiling at them. The breach closed as Jessie yelped in surprise before putting her hands to her mouth while a stunned Cisco asked the others what was going on.

"It's Wally, and…."

"A female Flash?" asked Constantine.

"Explanations later," Caitlin said as a still stunned Thea, trying not to be unsettled by the appearance of her mother, father, and Malcolm, continued by saying the man in front of them was a hologram.

"Or something," she added glancing at Wally.

"Now all of you are here," Wally said before changing form to Iris.

"Iris?" Harry said.

"Hello, Harry," Iris answered with a smile on her face as she tilted her head, "it's good to see you again."

"You are not Iris West, you are…" Constantine growled in anger as he thought about the deaths of his friends, rivals, and even his enemies.

"Oh, I am Iris West," she replied staring at Constantine, "I'm also Wally, Francine, Malcolm… I am everyone you knew who ever died. I'm a part of something bigger. Well, not really a part… but I am something bigger. Much more ancient that any of you will ever know."

"The… the rising darkness," Constantine stammered, his eyes wide open in surprise.

"I didn't know you had another soul to sell, Constantine," Iris said with an eyebrow raised. Everyone looked at Constantine, and then back at 'Iris'. She sighed before walking around the console while speaking as she switched form to a young blonde girl in a purple blouse and cream trousers. "But, I've already ordered Wally not to kill you. Not yet, anyway."

"And who are you supposed to be?" asked Thea glaring at the girl who seemed to be about sixteen years old.

"The girl who died, and was resurrected," the girl said, "that act broke part of my chains and freed me into the dimensional planes. I was unable to physically act, but I could order my followers to do my bidding. Hell, I nearly tipped the balance in my favour before I was interrupted by snow."

"Excuse me?" Harry said.

"I needed more to free myself. I needed another disruption in the line to be free," the girl said, also at a whisper, "and then…" She turned to look at Joe, "Barry Allen came to my help. I mean he didn't do it on purpose, but he did."

"Who's Barry Allen?" asked Constantine.

"My other son," Joe whispered while his eyes remained widened, "the Flash."

"Oh," Constantine said glaring at the blonde girl.

"Your foolish son," the girl said with a sneer, "he tried to change the timeline so that his poor departed mother wouldn't die." The girl then changed to Nora Allen and laughed while shaking her head.

"Nora?"

"NO… he… he wouldn't change time, he knew the risk involved, and…" Harry wanted to continue but was interrupted.

"He knew what he was doing, Harry," the being now taking the form of Iris said, "he ran into the Speedforce, he wanted to change time. But something happened. He was chased by the thing that Zoom became in the Speedforce. He ran too fast and… well…. He cracked the Source Wall. He created a small crack that enabled me to manifest in this dimension."

"No," Constantine's body trembled as he widened his eyes in shock and stepped back, "he.. he…"

"What's going on?" Cisco asked as he looked at the look of horror on Constantine's face, "hello?"

"What's the Source Wall?"

"When.. when the Source, some call Him the Divine, the One Above All, others call him God, created the universe, or rather the multiverse. He… He didn't just create this one," Constantine explained as his mind tried to imagine the destruction that was about to rain down on them, "He created other multiverses, other universes, other dimensions, that were sealed off from one another by a network of walls. The Source Wall. But…"

"Wait, I can jump from one Earth to another… I mean I make dimensional jumps and…"

"You do?" Constantine asked.

"That's where I just came from, dude," Cisco said while Constantine narrowed his eyes, "I…."

"You said we'll see Barry soon," Joe said, "Iris?"

"Where's Barry?" asked Jessie.

"On the Earth Prime of another dimension," Iris sneered before turning to Cisco, "a place you cannot go."

"Another…" Cisco shook his head as she tried to understand, "no, he has to be on another Earth. Dimensional jumping takes someone to another Earth in the multiverse."

"Stop thinking so small," Constantine whispered before Cisco cold say anything else. He stared at Iris while Cisco and the others looked back at him, "the Source Wall surrounds the various dimensions; within each own dimension lies its own multiverse, its own past, present, and future. It's own Earth Prime. Its own heavens and hells. And the Walls were created to not only prevent the different dimensions from clashing against each other, they were meant to keep you out. They were meant to keep the Rising Darkness out."

"I keep telling Manny and the Brujeria not to call me that," Iris said shaking her head, "I existed long before any of you. I existed before the Bang, and before the Word was ever spoken. And I existed before the light. I was, am, and will always be the First. The creator of all darkness and evil. And I…" the First laughed, "I can never be beaten or destroyed."

"Then why hasn't reality folded in on itself, why…." Constantine demanded.

"It was a crack, a crack that's already healing, but it was enough for me to manifest here," the First said with a smile, "the Crack will close soon, but it's too late. I'm here."

"We'll find a way to beat you."

"I'm in your heart, little girl," the First said as she looked at Thea, "and I'm in Cisco's heart, Jessie, Harry… I'm in the heart of every man, woman, and child. My time is coming, once the last shackle has been removed. Once the line has been obliterated, and my army here is combined with my army there, the balance will be tipped to my favour, I will be made flesh. And the Walls will fall… and then I will feed on the evil in everyone's hearts. Trillions upon trillions of lives in my hands."

"Won't happen," Cisco said with confidence.

"Barry caused the crack on the Wall which allowed me to manifest in a dimension where I have gained more power than the one I was trapped in," the First said, "I used Manny and the Brujeria to bring back a few allies. The Master…" Iris then turned to face Joe, "he turned me, and in turn, I turned Wally."

"What have…"

"The Master Vampire," Iris said as she turned into the blonde girl from earlier, "he killed me by drowning me, but an idiot brought me back. Then I killed a god, a demonic hybrid, and a large-ass smurf that sucks the life out of people. I killed them all, and… guess what?" The First then changed form to a blonde in a red dress, and then to the Master, followed by Adam, and then the Judge, before changing back to the blonde girl, Buffy, "and we are all here. Iris, Wally, Glory, Adam, the Judge will kill destroy, and turn people to evil before we make our way to the dimension I was trapped in. The dimension where the last of my shackles will be broken, actually… it's in the process of being broken."

"What shackles?" Caitlin.

"The Slayer Line," the First, as Buffy, said, as she turned to face a stunned Constantine, "you heard of it, haven't you."

"It.. it's a rumour," Constantine said in disbelief, "a group of men, the Shadow Priests, wanted a weapon to fight the demons and monsters that walked on the Earth. They trapped a demon, and tried to infuse it into a girl. But… but they failed. The demon killed the priests before they could finish the spell, and then killed the girl."

"They wanted control," the First said.

"One girl in every generation to fight the darkness, one girl they could control and use as a weapon," Constantine whispered as everyone turned to the First in Buffy's form, "they… they succeeded in… in another dimension, didn't they?"

"Into every generation, there is a Chosen one," 'Buffy' sneered as she folded her arms over her chest, "One girl in all the World. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight against the vampires and the demons and the forces of darkness. Yadda, yadda, yadda."

"And you're her," Constantine said.

"Funny," the First said looking at Thea and Caitlin, and then at Jessie, and her head turned towards Cisco, "if the Shadow Priests had been successful, then who knows… maybe there could have been Slayers here."

The First then turned back to looking at Constantine and Joe, " my Bringers have begun moving against the potentials. After they are all killed, I will kill the two Slayers. And that will bring an end to the line of Slayers. That will free me, finally. And all of you will watch every single world fall into darkness."

"We'll stop you, and…"

BOOM!

"What the hell?" cried Thea as the ground shook while Buffy chuckled.

"You should go outside, watch the start of your world falling as the mouth of Hell opens up," Buffy said before turning to Cisco as she changed form to Iris, "and Cisco? The time is coming where you will be the key to everything."

"I… what?" Cisco said.

"Enjoy the rest of your short life," Iris said before she vanished.

"I…." Cisco said shaking his head before looking up at Joe, and then at Harry and Jessie.

"Talk later," Thea said running towards the Cortex entrance, "something blew up and I need to know what's next. Come on."

Jessie was the first outside STAR Labs, and she screeched to a stop upon seeing a crashed ship in the parking lot of the giant building. She ran to the ship, which looked more like a propeller-less helicopter, and stopped at the forward viewport which had several cracks. But there was no shattered pieces anywhere on the ground. Through the glass, Jessie saw two women slumped forward onto the console, and an armoured man laying on the floor; the three of them were unmoving but Jessie swore she saw them breath. But before she could do, or say anything, she heard another 'BOOM!' She stepped back and looked into the air. In the distance, there was a flash of light followed by a streak that was falling towards the city.

Looking over her shoulders as one of the doors opened and Thea and the others poured out, Jessie looked back at the streak.

"Sara!" yelled Laurel as she and the others ran for the ship, the very same ship that she knew was a shuttle from the Waverider.

"Guys!" yelled Jessie as she pointed up into the sky as Harry ran up to and stopped next to her.

"The Waverider," Thea and Caitlin whispered as the others looked on for another second. They looked away when there was a bright flash of light. The Waverider exploded, lighting up the sky like a second sun, before a vast energy wave emanated from the fireball as it continued to shoot towards Earth. Jessie and the others opened their eyes as the energy wave washed over them.. and then.. suddenly, the sky started to crack. There were red and black cracks appearing all over the sky followed by red, orange, and black lightning that was coming down all around them.

"No," whispered Constantine when screams and roars could be heard all around them from the city as lightning struck the surface and red coloured rain, and various types of pods started to pour down, "no."

**Earth Two.**

People were going about their business when the skies cracked open and lighting struck several areas on the planet. The skies were turning red as the lightning that hit the ground opened vast chasms of fire that released demons and monsters, many of which flew out into the skies. More cracks opened, releasing dragons and other giant winged creatures that began attacking cities all over the Earth.

**Earth Three.**

Jay Garrick had just stopped the Trickster once again. He was about to turn and run for his patrol when the skies tore open. He stared in stunned silence as the ground shook while black, red, and blue lighting hit the ground all over the city. These opened chasms as well all over the city, and the world. Jay stared in shock at the demons that crawled and walked out of the giant holes in the grounds before going on to attack innocents. He them heard another 'boom' from behind. He turned to she lightning having struck a building. The entire side was burned out while containing some kind of biological pods. The pods tore open and Jay's eyes opened wide at seeing creatures with elongated heads and sharp teeth leaping out and attacking people.

"What's going on?" Jay said as he ran as fast as possible to save as many people as possible.

Every Earth in the multiverse was facing the same situation. Even…

**Earth Thirty Eight.**

Kara Danvers, better known as Supergirl, was heartbroken. Her love, Mon-El, had to leave because of the lead in the air…. The very same lead used to drive off the Daxamite invasion. And it was her fault. She was the one who pressed the button that released the lead, and she was the one who has to live with her actions.

Flying above National City was once so liberating for her, but now all it felt was as if she was being weighed down by chains. Where once she would fly through the city with a cheer, now there was a cold expression on her face. She heard, using her super hearing, that Alex proposed to Maggie. But Kara wasn't happy.

She knew that she told Alex to hold on to the person she loved, but the proposal did nothing for her. Even though it should have. Kara banked into the air as she flew past L-Corp and glanced at Lena Luthor looking out at the city skyline from her office balcony. Kara didn't know how it went between Lena and her mother, 'and I don't see her anywhere.'

Just as Kara was rising into the sky after passing L-Corp, she stopped and then turned upon a cold gust of wind brushing past her cheeks. Her blood froze when she looked up and saw the sky forming thousands of cracks that tore open.

"By Rao," Kara whispered before she turned around upon hearing a loud roar. She opened her eyes wide as red rain fell onto the Earth from the cracks in the sky, followed by orange and black pods that were headed straight for the surface. And then she flew a few feet back as hundreds of two headed dragons emerged from the cracks. "What.. what's going on?"

**Sunnydale, New Dimension Earth One, ten days after return from honeymoon; 0230 hours.**

While the skies in Barry's dimension's multiverse was cracking open and releasing hordes of demons, Buffy had the dream again. Not the exact same dream, but it was similar. A young woman running for her life; she was chased by creatures in hoods and robes, the creatures caught the girl, and then stabbed her to death. This particular dream, Buffy saw the girl running past a disco somewhere in Berlin. Buffy made note of the street name before following the girl into a closed off alley where she was taken down, held down onto the ground by four other creatures while the fourth one stabbed her with a razor sharp dagger.

Buffy was staring at the girl's bleeding body while hearing a scream in the distance, a scream that continued getting louder and louder. Buffy was panting as she stepped closer to the body of the bleeding girl who turned her head towards the blonde Slayer and spoke in a deep throated voice, "from beneath you, it devours."

And then Buffy looked to her left upon hearing a wild scream.

"Buffy!"

"No!" Buffy snapped her eyes open, only to look up at the worried expression on Barry's face. "I… I heard a scream, and…"

"That was you, honey," Barry whispered as her placed a hand gently on Buffy's right cheek, "you were screaming, and I was trying to wake you up."

Buffy closed her eyes and shook her head before releasing a sigh.

"The same dream?"

"Another girl," Buffy whispered as she sat up, along with Barry. She pulled her knees closed to her blanket covered chest while Barry placed and arm around her shoulder. "another city. Barry, something's going on, and… and this time there was something different." Buffy turned to looked at Barry before saying, "she turned her head and told me, 'from beneath you, it devours.'"

"Just like Thawne, in the dream you had on the plane?" asked Barry.

"Yeah," Buffy whispered as she removed the blanket from her body. She turned and then hopped off the bed in her shirt and shorts before saying that she needed to go out to clear her head, "just a quick patrol."

"I…." Before Barry could asked if she wanted him to come along, the ground started to shake. Barry zoomed over to Buffy and then took her out the apartment, and then out into the hallway, down the stairs, and out into the street. They held each other in the open as the ground shook while the sound of thunder clapped in the distance. The quake last for a few seconds more before stopping. Barry and Buffy were holding each other tight until the Earth stopped shaking. The both of them then parted and watched as the lights in their apartment complex turned on.

"We need to check in on Dawn and mom," Buffy said. Barry nodded his head before grabbing Buffy and zooming off. In the meantime, Giles woke up with a start and took cover as well. After the shaking stopped his phone rang and the man rushed to pick up the receivers as he stumbled out form under a table. He picked up the phone, and placed the receiver to his ear.

"Hello," he said while looking around to make sure nothing fragile crashed onto the carpeted floor.

"Rupert," a male voice said, a voice that Giles recognized as one of his friends from the Watcher's Council, Robson, "I.. I can't speak to you over the phone. Can you meet me? In London?"

"I…"

"Giles," Robson said, "this is life or death. Please, we must speak in person. As soon as possible."

Giles hadn't heard the man have a serious tone of voice as this ever since they first met, and that fact worried him. Giles told him that he would leave as soon as he could before putting the phone down. As he did, Giles wondered what could have gotten Robson, a normally affable person, so worried.

Back in Stevenson Hall, during the quake, Willow and Tara were holding each other tight. They were terrified… much more terrified of what they felt during the quake than the quake itself.

Evil. Darkness. And the both of them saw sharp teeth. As the shaking came to a stop, the terrified Willow and Tara stared at each other wordlessly. Each knowing the other saw the same thing; rows of sharp teeth from the Hellmouth.

"Something's coming, Tara," Willow whispered.

"Something evil." Tara confirmed. And the both of them were even more terrified than before.

TBC.

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Sunnydale High, the day of the Earthquake, 1000 hours.**

As Barry went about teaching his class, he had a sense of foreboding that there was something coming… something bad. Really, really big and bad. The thought of something big sent a chill up his spine with his back was to his students while writing a chemical reaction formula on the white board. As he wrote, Barry remembered the aftermath of the Earthquake several hours ago in the early morning hours that very day. After making sure that Joyce and Dawn were safe and sound, Buffy and Barry made some calls; Buffy called Willow and Tara, while Barry called Giles, Xander and Anya.

And it was during their respective talks with the two witches and Giles, respectively, that both Buffy and Barry cried out "What?!"

It was then that Buffy, put her phone on the speakerphone function, and asked everyone to meet at the Summers home. And it was then that Joyce realized that whatever everyone needed to talk about was absolutely urgent. So, she tightened the robe she was wearing around herself and said that she was going to be making some hot cocoa for everyone. Back in the present day, Barry turned around and faced his students, while thinking about Willow and Tara's description of what they saw and felt during the quake. He and the others then listened to Giles say that he needed to leave Sunnydale urgently to talk to his friend, Robson, in London. As Barry explained the chemical reaction to his students, his thoughts went back to earlier that morning.

"He said it was urgent," Giles said shaking his head. Buffy frowned when Giles said that Robson sounded very worried, "and this is a man who rarely gets worried."

"When are you leaving?" asked Joyce as she brought a tray full of steaming cocoa.

"I'm going to book a ticket on the first flight out of Los Angeles," Giles replied before turning towards Barry and asked him if he could take him to Los Angeles, "that way I don't have to take a flight from Sunnydale to L.A."

"I can take you all the way to London," Barry pointed out. And suddenly Giles looked sick as he thought about the speeds at which Barry would have to run, combined with the fact that he would be literally running on the Atlantic Ocean. Giles recalled Buffy excitedly saying how good it felt to be carried by Barry over the ocean on one of their dates- Barry ran carrying Buffy all the way to Tokyo for some sushi.

"No," Giles shook his head at thinking what would happen if Barry suddenly had a cramp when he was running over the ocean, 'and I can't swim' he thought. Giles then continued saying, "I just need a lift to Los Angeles, Barry."

"Sure," Barry nodded his head, "I just need a 'when'."

And Barry did take Giles to Los Angeles before coming back to the Summers home where he and Buffy spent the night in Dawn's old room; the younger Summers sister had taken Buffy's old room. It would be ten that very morning that Barry zoomed over to LAX with Giles and then ran back to Buffy. In the meantime, Xander went back to work in the construction yard where the new city library was taking shape. Tara and Willow went to class, Buffy and Barry went to work, Dawn went to school and Anya had the Magic Box all to herself.

'And we still haven't heard from Giles,' Barry now thought as he asked questions out to the class while placing his hands on his hips as he waited for their answers. At the same time, while he watched the students write on their pads, Buffy thought to himself, 'Joyce said four of her neighbours were moving out. Buffy and I saw three apartments in our floor emptying out- they seemed to be in a hurry.'

There was a sensation going through his body that there was something very wrong.

'Anya told us about her lunch with that other Vengeance Demon, Hallie,' Barry thought while he continued to wait after telling the students that they had a minute to come up with their answer this question, 'she said that something big is coming, that demons are taking sides… that they fear something. Tat's what she said, 'Some thing'.'

'Those three apartments emptied out,' Barry thought about the hurry at which his neighbours moved out into vans being filled with furniture and housing items. It would be several minutes later that the bell rang and the students in Barry's class pilled out towards the classroom door that led to the hallway. Over the chorus of voices that were glad for the class to be over, Barry yelled about a quiz the next day, and smiled at the groans from the students as they trudged out the door. Once the class was empty, Barry chuckled as he packed up his things before picking up his bag and swinging it over his shoulder, 'next stop? Buffy's office.'

He walked out of the class as students rushed past him on the way to their other classes. As he walked along, Barry felt as if he was being watched. Turning around, Barry stopped suddenly- resulting in one or two students hitting him. While apologizing and gently pushing the young man that hit him on his way, Barry looked round at his surroundings and didn't see anything that was unusual.

But he still felt a chill go up his spine. Barry spun around slowly and concentrated on the faces walking past him. Some of them were looking at him, but it was more a look of 'why is he looking around while standing in the middle of the hallway' instead of something malevolent. And what Barry was feeling was malevolent.

Barry narrowed his eyes and searched the hallways for anything unusual. And suddenly he stopped. Barry's eyes were wide open in shock when Harrison Wells walked out of a hallway at the end of the hallway her was standing in. 'No, that's not… if.. if Cisco's here, then….'

"Harry!" yelled Buffy as he rushed through the crowd of students, most of whom were going the opposite way. Barry ran at a normal pace as a smile appeared on Harry's lips before he looked to the left, and then back at Barry once again. "Harry!" yelled Barry as Harry then turned and walked off into the hallway to his left. Barry ran past more students and a few teachers before he turned onto the hallway that Harry walked into and saw….

"Nothing," he whispered at seeing the glass doors to the quad outside full of people. Barry rushed to the glass doors and opened them before stepping back as several students rushed in. He looked over their heads as they walked past, and then rushed outside. He stood dumbfounded scanning the area around him for Harry, but didn't find him anywhere.

"Barry!"

Barry spun around once again, this time to see Buffy rushing towards him through the glass doors with a worried look on her face.

"Barry," she said rushing up to him, "you alright? I was walking over to your classroom when I heard you shout out "Harry", what happened?"

"I…" Barry ran his hand through his hair in confusion while he looked away from Buffy and then looked around. 'Still no Harry', he thought to himself before looking back at his wife and wondering what she'd say if he said that visions of people he knew smiled at him.

"Barry," Buffy said holding his hands as several students rushed past them, "whatever it is, we'll find a way through… you know… whatever it is that's got you so spooked."

"I saw Harry," Barry said as the smile vanished from Buffy's face and her eyebrows narrowed. Barry recognized that look, 'she's confused', he thought to himself as Buffy shook her head and asked what he meant by 'he saw Harry'. "I saw Harry, Buffy," Barry repeated himself before looking up from Buffy and then around him. He then looked back at Buffy and continued, "I… I don't know how its possible but I saw Harry. Which means that…"

"Cisco's here," Buffy whispered. And for an instant, Barry saw Buffy shift her eyes away from him with a sadness that hit him hard. Barry turned around and grabbed her hand in his gently and then the both of them started walking out in the sun lit quad.

"I swore to you that I'm not going back," Barry whispered as Buffy gently squeezed his hand and then closed her eyes, nodding her head.

"I know," Buffy whispered turning her head towards him as they were about to enter another section of the massive Sunnydale High building, "sometimes it's just… I mean it's your friends and you home, and…"

"I love my family on Earth One," Barry whispered as they walked through the doors and into the other building, "and I love you and my family and friends here. I'm not going back."

"I guess Cisco could tell you how he managed to get here," Buffy said looking at Barry as they neared the teachers lounge after waking up a flight of stairs, "and then you'd have a way to visit Joe and the others and…"

"They'll love you," Barry said. And Buffy smiled. Buffy kissed the side of her head as they both of them walked down the hallway past students who were running to the cafeteria. As they walked, 'Harry' watched them as they walked away.

"Prepare yourself, Mr. Allen," the First, as the very first Harrison Wells of Earth One… the original before killed by Eobard Thawne, said, "time for the rising is nearly here. And I will soon have the means to open the seal."

**Sunnydale High, 1430 hours, that same day.**

Buffy found herself walking through a barely lit tunnel. The walls were reflecting an arrange and red flickering light from the end of the tunnel as a stale stench of blood wafted though. It entered her nostrils and she furrowed her eyebrows while she cautiously continued on walking, her feet landing on rock and uneven ground. Buffy then suddenly stopped when she heard a loud wail, and then a roar, and then another yell of raw pain, and then another growl. She reached to her left for a stake, or a sword really, but she discovered there were no weapons.

She was unarmed.

'Why don't I have any weapons with me?' she thought to herself. She stopped walking, looked down at herself, and then checked herself for weapons. But found nothing.

"AAARGGGHHH!" came a wail again from the end of the tunnel. Buffy continued walking again towards the light at the end of the tunnel. And when she did, Buffy found Spike, of all people, badly beaten and brushed while tied to a circular metallic rack in a large cavern.

"Bu… Buffy… " he whispered raising his head upon hearing her footsteps on the Rocky ground, "bu.. Buffy. He.. Help…"

Buffy stared at the Vampire in shock as he stared back at her. His eyes were begging for help.. For a rescue from whatever it was that was hurting him. Buffy looked down from his bloodied and bruised face to his bare chest where there were symbols carved into his flesh with fresh blood flowing down from the cuts.

"Spike?" Buffy whispered as she reached out with her left hand when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her.

"Buffy?" a male voice said. Buffy snapped her eyes wide open, and the sat up and wiped the drool falling from the side of her mouth. She was still groggy as she looked around, barely noticing the dark skinned man who was standing in front of her desk. Buffy instead looked around, and then sighed before discovering she was back in her office. It was then that she noticed the man looking down at her with an amused look on his face, "didn't get too much sleep? Or you aren't being kept busy enough?"

"Principal Wood," Buffy said as she then looked down and rearranged her desk quickly before looking back up, "I have an appointment in ten minutes, so I thought I get a power nap and.. Yeah. A power nap. You know, they say it's really good for the soul, and…"

"I understand, Buffy," chuckled the Principal as he put his hands into his pockets, "I saw you were asleep through the window, and I thought I'd come in and check in."

"I'm alright," Buffy said as she thought about the dream with the injured Spike, 'I need to talk to Giles and Barry about that dream. It felt like one of my prophecy dreams, but what does Spike have to do with anything? And how did he leave the island where Barry left him?'

"That's good," said the Principal mod ding his head as he started to walk backwards, "and I have students to deal with."

Buffy nodded her head before the Principal turned and walked out of the office. Once the door was closed shut again, Buffy sighed and looked down at her table. She reached for a pile of folders, the remaining appointments for the day. As she opened the folder, Buffy looked up at the clock and thought to herself, 'five more minutes then,; before looking back down and opening the folder.

'So Amanda, what do you…'

"Buffy?" The Slayer's eyes opened side when she heard the familiar voice, followed by the door to the office she shared with the other counsellor closing.

"Spike?" Buffy said as she stood up while Spike walked towards her. "What.. What…"

"I.. I'm back and, and we need to talk," Spike said as Buffy clenched her jaw tight, "I.. I want to become the man you want. I.. I.. Wanted to show you that I can be better. I.."

"Spike…" Buffy said as he placed his hands on the table and leaned in towards her.

"I followed stories.. Rumours… legends.." Spike continued, "I.. I finally found a way to be what you want, Buffy. I found a way to… "

"Spike!" Buffy said stepped out to the side away from the back of her desk, "I…"

"I never realized how it would sting," Spike mumbled as he rubbed his chest though his black shirt, "I never realized how.. How the screams would get to me. I… Angel never said that it stings, you know. I…"

"Spike?" Buffy narrowed her eyes when she mentioned Angel, and then watched him look away with a forlorn expression while he sat down across from her, "the pain, Buffy. All for you. All… Angel never said it would hurt."

"What? What didn't he…"

"My soul, Buffy," Spike said as Buffy opened her eyes wide in shock, "I… I got my soul back.. All.. All for you."

"Spike," Buffy shook her head before she leaned back on her seat. She then recalled the dream she had of the supposedly ensouled vampire in front of her and wondered what it meant. However, before continuing any further, she needed to tell Spike some essential truths, including her marriage to Barry, "we need to talk. and then… and then I need you to leave."

**London, England, ten days after Earthquake in Sunnydale; 1800 hours.**

Giles needed Barry to stay with Buffy and the others in Sunnydale.

As he walked up the stairs with the small bag around his shoulders, Giles knew he had made the right decision in not calling Barry earlier that day. In fact, it would have been too late for the Watcher's Council… by the time he heard the 'Boom!' sound, he was already several blocks away by bus. He had to look out the window of the bus, as did the other passengers, to see column of smoke rising in to the air from somewhere in the City.

He quickly got off at the next stop, and the ran towards the smoke as fast as he could. He knew he shouldn't have, but he needed to know; Giles told himself that he needed to be sure. And when he reached the site where the blaring police cars and fire engines stopped, with rescue services readying to put out the flames from the building as it collapsed before their eyes at another quake caused by an explosion. Everyone, including Giles, ducked down as another explosion from the third floor of the building erupted outwards.

Giles didn't have his phone on him anyway. And by the time he reached any phone booth to call Barry for help, the building would have collapsed. That's what he told himself as he climbed the stairs in shock at the loss of the entire Watcher's Council as he remembered what remained of the building after collapsing onto the ground.

The group that had been protecting the world, along with the Slayer, was no more. Giles suddenly felt alone as he grabbed the handrail along the stairs with trembling hands. He remembered what Robson told him after he arrived in London a month ago.

His apartment was ransacked. Giles looked around the living room when he noticed Robson, his hand was pressing against a wound on his abdomen. Giles quickly rushed over to him and then crouched down. Giles put an hand on his shoulder and then looked around, and caught sight of two bodies behind him. They were young girls, not more than fourteen, lying in pools of their own blood. Giles knew that Robson wasn't married and had no children of his own.

"Ru.. Rupert," he breathlessly said as Giles turned his head back to his friends, "Gather… Gather them, it… it's started." Giles narrowed his eyes, his back to the front door, while he continued to listen, "watch over… over them…" Suddenly, Giles heard a squeaking sound. Immediately Giles turned and stood up at the same time. He saw the axe coming down at his head. He grabbed the handle of the sharp bladed weapon while staring at the rune-eyed creature in fort of him. Giles them lifted his leg and kicked out at the creature. It let go of the axe, and then Giles rushed forward before beheading the creature.

Panting hard as its head rolled on the floor, Giles turned back to the unconscious Robson and then hurried to his side. He crouched down and felt for a pulse. Sighing in relief, Giles then turned to Alice's dead body before he got up to his feet. He then made an anonymous call to the police before walking out of the apartment.

Back to the present day, Giles reached his floor. He then walked on the cold floor towards a door at the end of the hallway while reaching into his pockets for keys. The man gripped the ring around the key and the took it out. He heard the sounds of girls voice from the other side of the door, voices which went silent when he knocked on the door. He knocked a code, something he taught the girls in the one week he knew them, and then opened the door slowly.

"It's me," he confirmed after opening the door fully and then stepping into the room as the three girls stood up from the couch. Once he was inside, Giles closed the door behind him.

"So, did you get what you were looking for?" asked one of the girls with an American accent.

"What I could get, at least, Kennedy," Giles said as he handed the bag he was carrying to a long haired girl in a blue shirt. "Thank you, Annabelle," Giles told the girl who walked back to the couch with the bag while Giles put the key back in his pocket and placed his hands on his waist, "I know all of you have had your watchers, good friends of mine, killed by…"

"The First," the third girl said in an English accent.

"Agents of the First, Molly," Giles pointed out before continuing, "anyway, the… the Watcher's Council… every other Watcher that returned to England…. Well…"

"What happened?" Kennedy asked.

"It's destroyed," Giles said while the three girls looked back at him with abject shock registered on their faces. "the Council has been destroyed, we're on our own and… and I've already made a call to some friends of mine." Giles then went on to explain how he called the Devon Coven, and had them contact every single Watcher that still lived. He wanted them to use their seers and other contacts to have all Potential Slayers diverted to Sunnydale where they could be protected.

"But…" Kennedy said before being interrupted.

"Kennedy, help Molly and Annabelle pack up," Giles said curtly as he thought about the friends who died in the blast, "we leave in ten minutes."

"Giles, I…."

"Kennedy," Annabelle said. The young American turned to the Blonde Brit and frowned, "don't argue. We need to be prepared for what's coming next. Come on, we need to pack, and then leave." Kennedy narrowed her eyes at her fellow Potential, and then she turned her head to Giles who was dialling his cell phone. Kennedy then huffed before turning around and walking to the room she and the other girls shared so that they could pack.

**Barry and Buffy's Apartment, 1010 hours.**

The high-pitched screams of pleasure escaping from Buffy's mouth could be heard from the shower while her phone was silently buzzing on her bedside table in the bedroom. The buzzing from her cell phone stopped just as the screaming stopped as well. Buffy and Barry were now kissing passionately in the shower, the water travelling down both of their bodies, after he turned Buffy around and pulled her close. They kissed for several seconds before Barry's phone's ringtone rang out through he open door to the shower in their room. The couple parted and stared at each other for a few seconds before Barry sighed and then zoomed out into their room. Buffy chuckled as she turned around once again towards the showered head when she heard Barry say "Hello" into the phone. While she was reaching for her luffa and shower foam, Barry was dripping wet over the bedroom carpet as Giles spoke over the other line.

"It's me," Giles said as he looked into the hallway which ended at the open door where the three girls were packing, "I…."

"Giles?" Barry said surprised while Giles looked away from down the hallway and paced in the living room, "where have you been? I… we've been calling and calling to find you. Buffy even called the Council yesterday searching for you, and…"

"Barry," Giles whispered so that the Potential Slayers couldn't hear him, "this is really urgent. I'm texting you my address in London. I need the Flash here, Barry. In ten minutes. The world depends on it. Everything depends on it."

Barry recognized the urgency in Giles voice. He glanced at the digital clock at the bedside table, 'six ten in the morning' Barry thought before speaking once again, "Giles, are you alright?"

"Barry, ten minutes, please," Giles said before he put the phone down. Giles then texted Barry his address, which the latter received a few seconds later. Barry looked down at the address with a look of worry at how Giles sounded over the phone. His lips pursed, Barry looked up from the phone as the scent of vanilla wafted into his nostrils, 'Buffy's shower foam' he thought as he took in a deep breath. Barry then breathed out before looking down at his phone, flipping the top, and then throwing it down to the bed. Barry then walked towards the shower, walked into the steamy room before opening the glass door and stepping inside just as his wife finished washing off the last of the suds that covered her body.

"Hey," Buffy smiled as Barry closed the glass door. She took a step back as Barry walked into the shower, "who called?"

"Giles," Barry said as he started to put the foam on his luffa while Buffy opened her eyes wide in surprise at hearing from her former Watcher. Barry noticed the surprise as well and said that he asked Giles what happened, "but he said he needed me in London in ten minutes.. well, now more like nine minutes."

"He was in London all this time?" Buffy asked as Barry stepped back while she stepped under the shower and washed her hair. Barry nodded his head as he rubbed the shower foam all over his body before stepping under the shower while wrapping his arms around Buffy's wet body. Barry said yes as he hugged Buffy tight before kissing her full on the lips. Parting after a few seconds, Buffy said, "then you better get going, Barry."

"Oh, I got time," Barry arched an eyebrow as water dripped down his wet hair as Buffy turned and grabbed a knob. She then twisted it to shut off the water before tuning back towards Barry. Steam was still rising all around them form the hot water as Buffy leaned forward and kissed his cheek before walking past him and to the closed shower door, which had fogged up. Buffy looked back at Barry as she opened the fogged-up glass door and stepped out. Barry chuckled as Buffy closed the door and he got to stand underneath the stream of water while Buffy wrapped a towel around her body and then walked out into their room.

She then walked over to the closer and took out a pair of tank-tops and some shorts for herself while Barry was still in the shower. Buffy wondered what Giles had been up to, especially with all the trouble that occurred in Sunnydale over the last month after the earthquake. There were even more demon attacks, then there was the warning that Anya received from a current Vengeance Demon- a friend of hers name Hallie. She mentioned to Anya, who then told Buffy and the other Scooby's, that there was something dark coming- something that was very evil.

'Everyone's already taking sides,' Buffy thought as she put on her tank top while she turned and watched Barry walk into the room with a towel around his waist. Buffy put in her shorts while Barry started to gather some clothes from the closet before putting them on at super speed. He then rushed to Buffy, swept her into his arms, and then ran out to the hallway and to the stairs.

"I'll make the coffee and the other stuff," Buffy said after Barry stopped in the kitchen, and placed her feet first on the floor beneath them. She placed her hands on his chest and sighed before continuing, "you should run to London. See what's up with Giles and tell him that I'm pissed off he hasn't called."

"Will do," Barry said as Buffy stepped back.

And then he ran out the kitchen, and out the door. In the meantime, Buffy turned and started making the coffee before she walked over to the fridge. She was going to start breakfast before heading over to Joyce's home to make sure that Spike, who had been staying in the basement sulking for the past ten days, was on his best behaviour.

"If he wasn't, mom and Dawn would probably kill him," Buffy chuckled as she took out some eggs, "never mess around with the Summers women." Buffy then started to whistle as she put some toast into the machine, 'now, what's up with Giles? What's so urgent?'

**At the outer edge of Sunnydale, 1015 hours.**

The First stared at the stretch of road before it, imperceptible to anyone, as it stood in the guise of Warren. It was staring at the black van that was speeding towards the van that was driving towards the 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign. As the Van sped past, the First as Warren stared at the two people in the van with a smile on its lips. It was time to begin the countdown to the apocalypse. The First, as Warren, sneered as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Welcome back, Andrew and Jonathan."

TBC.

 


	27. Chapter 27

**London, England, three minutes later.**

Giles was nearly done packing his bags in the living room when Kennedy walked out from the hallway carrying a bag in her left hand. Behind her walked Annabelle with her backpack containing the books and scriptures that Giles took from the Council library, and another bag in her left hand containing her clothes. The doors the end of the hallway, the door to the girls' room, was then closed shut before Molly hurried down the hallway behind Annabelle.

"We're ready, Mr Giles," Molly said in her British accent, "are we waiting for a Taxi?"

"Not exactly," Giles replied while he zipped up his bag and then looked up at the three girls with tired eyes. He was about to open his mouth to say that they were simply waiting on a friend before they made their way to Sunnydale. However, before he could speak, Giles heard a knock on the door behind him. Giles tensed up, he wondered if Barry was able to make it over the entire Atlantic Ocean only three minutes after talking to him on the phone. He eyed the girls and saw that they were exceedingly worried, even though they tried not to show it outwardly. He watched Kennedy stare at the door while Molly moved closer to Annabelle who had her arms trembling despite reassuring them that there was nothing to worry about.

"We can protect ourselves, and…."

"Yeah, sure," Kennedy interrupted while looking around for a weapon, any weapon. Finding none, she looked back up at the door, trying to keep her own fear and nervousness from boiling up to the surface.

"Giles, it's me," said a strange muffled voice from the other side of the door. Giles released a sigh of relief before he stood up straight and smiled at the girls.

"It's okay," he assured them while walking towards the door. He waved out at them while saying "I called a friend to help us get to Sunnydale." The three girls, who were still tense, watched as Giles opened the door. His body blocked their view of who it was that he was speaking to in the hallway. However, once he stepped aside nodding his head, their eyes widened in surprise and their jaws dropped. And all at the same time.

"Flash," Giles said closing the door while Barry, in costume, stood with a confused look on his face as he stared at the stunned girls. He then eyed the packed bags, and then at the small apartment, he found himself in, and then back at the still stunned girls who were simply rooted in place. At the end, Barry then looked back at Giles with an eyebrow arched upwards.

While vibrating his vocal chords, Barry said he couldn't help but wonder what Giles had been doing all this time. Giles told Barry that there would be explanations later before introducing him, as the Flash, to the girls, "that's Kenney, Molly, and Annabelle."

"Hi," Barry waved his hand. But the girls were still stunned; they were still rooted in place with only Molly giving Barry a small wave while their mouths hung open. Chuckling, Barry leaned over to Giles while crossing his arms over his chest and whispered, "I think I broke them."

"Girls!" Giles barked while clapping his hands together at the three girls. The sound of Giles' voice, and then the clap, forced the three girls out of the thoughts going through their minds. Of course, they heard about the Streak, or the Bolt, as he was known in the UK but the girls never thought that they would meet him in public. Nor did they ever suspect that Giles knew the speedster and that knowledge made Giles 'cool' again in their minds.

Shaking their heads, it was Molly who grinned first, and then Annabelle while Kennedy rubbed the back of her head nervously at the same time trying her best to remain cool.

"Oh my God, you know the Bolt, Mr Giles?" Annabelle squealed while Molly rushed to Barry and shook his hand before asking numerous questions. Barry was surprised that Molly wasn't a speedster, especially due to the way she seemed to ask questions so fast that he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"The Flash," Giles said placing a hand on Barry's shoulder, "he's the Flash, not the Streak nor the Bolt." Giles then told the girls to grab their bags before turning to Barry, "Flash, I need you to take the girls to Mrs Summers' home. I'll contact her to expect you and the girls."

Barry narrowed his eyes at the older man and leaned in closer, silently asking him why he wanted the girls over at Joyce's home. Barry knew that Giles was keeping his secret identity safe by referring to Joyce in a formal way, but he still wondered what was going on and why Giles was in London in an apartment with three girls. But those were questions Barry pushed to the back of his mind. At least for now.

"Mr Giles," Barry said while vibrating his vocal chords while the other girls stared, "not to Buffy's home?"

"Not yet," Giles shook his head before glancing at the excitement on the faces of the three girls who were holding onto to their bags. The older man then shifted his eyes back to Barry and said, "they're in danger, Flash." And before Barry could ask about the danger, Giles lifted his hand up and said, "when you get to Sunnydale, have Mrs Summers contact everyone for a meeting."

"Okay," Barry nodded his head.

"And get back here as fast as you possibly can," Giles said with a serious look on his face. "Take Annabelle and Molly with you first, and then come back for me and Kennedy."

"You're going with me?" a surprised Barry asked. He knew that Giles was uneasy being carried at super speed, so the look he gave Barry told the latter that there was something very wrong. Barry stared at Giles in concern before asking for an explanation, "Giles, what's going on?"

"Flash, listen to me very carefully," Giles simply said putting his hand on Barry's left shoulder, "the Watcher's Council has been destroyed, and…." Giles saw Barry's eyes widen and that he was about to say something. But before the fastest man alive could say a single word, Giles shook his head before continuing, "the girls…. All the girls on Earth who could be a Slayer are in danger. I'll explain everything when we get back to Sunnydale, but I need you to run as fast as you can… faster than you've shown us before."

"How bad is it?" Barry whispered.

"We're dealing with an apocalypse, Flash," Giles said with a serious look on his face. He could see that Barry was about to laugh, especially given that Buffy would face any number of apocalypse causing situations every so often. So Giles couldn't blame Barry for the look of disbelief that was about to turn to a chuckle, "Flash, this is it. This is THE apocalypse we're talking about. This is the end of the world and the coming of the greatest evil the world… the universe itself would ever know." Barry just simply stared at Giles wondering if the older man was kidding.

"Giles, are you saying that…." Barry stopped talking when he saw the seriousness on Giles' face looking back at him. "You mean this is... this apocalypse is the one? The big one?"

"That's why you need to run the fastest you've ever run, Flash," Giles responded, "you need to take us to Sunnydale. And then we need to talk about what's happening. We need to talk about what's coming, and how we can save as many of the Potentials as possible."

Barry took in a deep breath before nodding his head and then turning to the three girls. Annabelle and Molly walked up to him, the both of them carrying their bags in each hand, before they placed their free arms around his waist.

"Hi," Annabelle gushed looking up at Barry as he placed his arms around the girls' shoulders. Barry nodded his head before hearing the same "hi" from Molly. He nodded at the grinning girl before turning his head to Giles who told him to run.

"Hold on tight," Barry whispered before he tightened his hold on the both of them, and then ran at superspeed. All the amazed and wide-eyed Kennedy saw was a blur running away with lightning behind him followed by Giles slamming the door shut and then locking it. He stared at the surprised Kennedy who had her mouth hanging open while he leaned back on the door.

Kennedy closed her mouth as if to say something, but she stopped and raised a finger. She was about to say something but stopped short of opening her mouth once again as she placed her hands on her hips.

And all she did was stare questioningly at Giles.

**Sunnydale.**

While Giles sighed and then walked over to his bag as Kennedy stared at the closed door, Barry was midway over the Atlantic Ocean with the two girls in his arms. The two girls were nearly weightless for Barry given how fast he was running with the water churning in his wake. To Annabelle and Molly, everything was a blur covered with crackles of yellow lightning. They saw the blue water beneath them for a few moments before it was replaced by what the could only guess was solid ground.

The two of them could have sworn they ran past one landmark after another as they rushed through the states before Barry stopped at a porch. Once he stopped, the two girls staggered out of his grasp, dropped the bags onto the wooden floor, and then rushed towards the stairs facing the front lawn.

Barry grimaced and turned away as the two girls vomited onto the grass before he walked forward and knocked on the front door. He turned around to see the girls steadying themselves while using the back of their hands to wipe their mouths before turning back to the sound of the door opening.

He smiled at Joyce standing in a long skirt and a blouse with a questioning look on her face. Barry didn't wait for her to speak, instead, he was the one who opened his mouth first, "Mrs Summers, Mr Giles asked me to bring these two here. He said he'd call?"

"He did indeed call, Flash," Joyce confirmed before saying that Giles didn't explain anything about what was happening. Joyce continued to speak while she looked at Barry, and then at the girls, and back at Barry once again, "but he did say that he needed you back immediately after dropping off these two."

Joyce knew that there was a reason the two girls, who had been introduced by Barry as Annabelle and Molly, was with the speedster. She knew there was a reason why Giles was so adamant about sending them to Sunnydale. 'I guess I'll have to wait for an explanation,' Joyce thought to herself.

"Welcome," she told the two girls as she stepped back into the foyer and motioned for the two girls to come into the house. As they walked past Barry with their bags in their hands, Joyce narrowed her eyes at him and then silently mouthed "what's going on?"

Knowing that the two girls, standing in the foyer, were still listening, Barry said, "Mrs Summers, could you call Buffy and the others over? Mr Giles said he has something important to tell all of you. It's about the safety of these girls."

"I'll make the call, Flash."

"Thanks," Barry said before he left the porch at super-speed for London once again. Joyce then closed the door and then turned to the two girls in front of her.

"Mom!" Dawn yelled from the top of the stairs, "who was that?"

"We have guests!" Joyce cried out looking up at the stairs before turning to the young girls, "are the both of you hungry?"

"I…"

"We ran…," Annabelle whispered while eyes were wide open.

"Come, take a seat," Joyce said when their faces turned green for just a moment before she led them to the living room and offered them a seat on the couch. She told them to take one deep breath after another before she took off for the phone in the living room and contacted Buffy. While she talked to her daughter, Joyce noticed the hint of fear in the faces of the young girls- fear covered by the sick look on their faces from being carried halfway around the world at super-speed.

**London, a minute after Barry left for Sunnydale.**

It was shortly after Barry left the London apartment that Kennedy turned to Giles and cried out, "you know the Flash?!" She was panting while placing her hands on her hips and staring at the Watcher who was staring at the door before turning to her and nodded his head.

"He is our ally and friend," Giles clarified before he turned towards the door once again and started a mental count in his head. It had taken Barry about three minutes after Giles' initial call to Barry's and Buffy's home, 'three minutes there, and then another three minutes back again. And in the meantime, anything can happen.' Giles turned to the exasperated look on Kennedy's face as she whispered, "maybe this was something you could have let us know? You know... about how you and the Flash are buddies."

"Well, I had no idea that someone was going to blow up the Watcher's Council now, did I?" Giles responded. He was about to tell Kennedy that there was no time to call the Flash even after the explosion and that the only thought in his mind was the safety of the three girls under his watch, 'and now, we have to watch over the rest of the Potential Slayers. Barry and I have to work as one on this, we'll need his talents to rescue as many Potentials as possible.' Before he knew it, another minute had passed and the feeling of danger grew inside Giles. He brought his hand up to signal to Kennedy to keep silent while staring at the door. Giles then turned his head towards Kennedy, while his heart started to race, and placed a finger to his lips when he thought he heard the sounds of someone shuffling in the hallway. He signalled for Kennedy to step back while he moved silently towards his bag and then crouched down. Giles unzipped the bag and reached in to take out a sharp knife before he stood back up while staring at the front door. Standing up, Giles moved in front of Kennedy and stepped back while gently pushing the Potential Slayer back as well, "just stay calm. The Flash should be here soon."

"Uh huh," Kennedy said as she rolled her hands into fists and got into a defensive stance, just as she was trained to do so by her now-dead Watcher. She had been trained ever since the age of ten to become a Slayer should she ever be called… and now she was preparing herself for a possible fight against an enemy- the very same eyeless creatures that killed her Watcher.

She stood next to Giles as the sounds of shuffling increased. Giles tried to push Kennedy back, but the young woman shook her head and told Giles in no uncertain terms that she was not scared- even though her heart was racing and her forehead was profusely sweating.

Giles frowned at her and was about to say something when there was a whoosh, followed by someone on the other side of the front door started pounding on the door. The two of them stared at the door which started to shake for a few more seconds before it was violently torn out of its hinges. The door fell inwards as Giles and Kennedy took a step back, the both of them staring with mouths open at the four creatures that rushed into the living room one after another. The four, followed by another two who were in the hallway outside the door rushed in- the two of them targeted Giles with their hooked daggers, and the rest targeted Kennedy.

It was hell in that small room as Giles and Kennedy were separated from each other- Giles was holding his own, even managing to kill one of the creatures before stepping left to avoid a stab from another knife. He then punched the creature just as it swung the dagger and sliced his arm. Blood seeped through his white coloured sleeves while he punched the creature again before stabbing it in the area where its left eyes would be. Giles then looked up and grabbed another creature, pulling it away from the ones attacking Kennedy who was against a wall and held down by three of the creatures. Giles saw the third about to swing its dagger down towards Kennedy's chest.

Giles grabbed the one holding the dagger just as the creature he pulled away earlier rushed up behind him and pulled him back. The one with the dagger turned and smiled at Giles before it threw the dagger to one of the creature's holding down Kennedy. Once the dagger was in the hand of one of the two creatures. The two of them then pushed the struggling Kennedy down to the floor with one of them holding down her hands over her head, and the other one straddling her with the dagger in the air prepared to be swung down. In the meantime, Giles was being punched multiple times in his face and into his abdomen while he was being held back. The man glimpsed at the fallen weapons on the floor next to him just before he was punched into his solar plexus. He gasped out before falling down to his knees just as the dagger being held over Kennedy's struggling body came down.

Just as Giles fell to the floor after being kicked in the face, he saw the knife piercing down into Kennedy's skin. He saw that she had her eyes open wide and her mouth in an 'O' shape when, suddenly, there was a blur and lightning around them. The blade that pierced Kennedy's chest ever so slightly still drew blood that stained her shirt before it was shot to one side. The blade coming to rest on a wall while the creature straddling her was thrown to one side. To Giles, it all happened in a blink of an eye before the creatures were all lying unconscious against the walls of the apartment.

"Flash?" Giles groaned while he was being helped up by Barry who then, once the older man was on his feet, rushed to the panting and fearful Kennedy.

"You told me to get back real fast," Barry said looking up at the beaten and bloody Giles before looking down at Kennedy. He looked her over and noticed the spot of red on her shirt where the blade went through the skin and top layer of chest muscle. However, Barry was relieved that it didn't pierce the heart- a fact he was sure of when Kennedy's terrified eyes shifted to him and whispered, "is it over?"

Barry nodded his head as Giles limped over and said, "it's just a flesh wound." He then got up to his feet and reached down with his hand. Kennedy grabbed the offered hand and winched from the pain on her chest as she was pulled up. Barry then looked around at the unconscious, still breathing, creatures before turning to Giles, "so…. This is what you wanted to talk about?"

"There's more," Giles responded.

"Well then, let's get you guys to Sunnydale," Barry said before grabbing the both of them and then running all the way to Sunnydale.

TBC.


	28. Chapter 28

**Central City, now.**

"Get them inside, now!" yelled Constantine as he closed his hands into fists just as symbols appeared etched into the air around his fists. The man then mumbled under his breath while Joe, Caitlin, Harry, and Thea rushed into the crashed shuttle where Caitlin and Thea dragged the unconscious Amara and Sara respectively, while Harry and Joe were needed to drag the armoured Ray Palmer through the rear of the crashed ship.

They didn't miss the sight of mysterious symbols being etched in mid-air around the Constantine's fists as they dragged the unconscious bodies past him, Laurel, and Jessie who had taken a defensive stance against several red coloured organic looking pods that crashed into the ground close to Star Labs' main entrance.

'There's more of these things around the whole damn place,' Constantine thought to himself as he stared at the opaque pods, and then to his left and right side. More pods crashed down into the grounds surrounding Star Labs with several pods crashing in through the building's ceiling.

Frowning and cursing under his breath, Constantine turned back to the pods in front of him. He could see some thick, pale-white, viscous liquid inside, along with a shadow that appeared to be moving. 'Something's in there. And it's wanting to come out.' He looked up at the city where small explosions were erupting. The explosions had Jessi prepared to leave so that she could save as many people as possible.

Constantine looked around and then back at the people dragging the bodies, and then back at the pods which had already started to crack before a pale white liquid started to flow out and down the front side of the pod. 'There are too many entrances to defend, too many parts of the building that need to be warded again demonic incursions.' Constantine thought as he looked over his shoulder at the pods, and then suddenly there was a 'splat' and 'splotch' sound all around him. He heard Thea and the others dragging the bodies yell in horror before there was a scream.

An inhuman scream.

It rang in his ears. Constantine turned his head around to the source, where he saw Laurel lean forward and use her sonic ability to push back a demon that had its head split in the middle running towards her… both halves of the head opening up to reveal a set of razor sharp teeth.

"Go!" Constantine yelled again at the group carrying the bodies before firing a plume of fire at another demon while Cisco fired vibrational blast at another two demons, pushing them back hard into three more that were breaking through their pods.

There were a total of twelve pods, at least that the group could see, and only nearly all of them either hatched, or were in the process of hatching. Constantine could see two more cracking, and then another one, and then another one. He heard the demon screech loudly in pain before Constantine fired at another demon that leapt at him.

"Girl Flash!" Constantine yelled while he fired a stream of flame at another demon that was yelling in anger while flames licked its body, "Girl Flash!" Constantine saw two more demons get thrown aside by a blur with lightning trailing behind it before stopping next to him.

"I'm Jessie Quick, not Girl Flash!" she yelled standing in front of Constantine while she stared at the horror around them.

"Listen to me! Star Labs has been compromised!" Constantine said pointing at the holes made into the ceiling after the pods had crashed through, "we need to take these people somewhere that can be protected."

"Like where?!"

"Anywhere!" Constantine yelled at the girl before they looked up at the sky above them. Everyone stopped and looked up at the dragons that were coming in though the tears, followed by monstrous creatures the size of a mid-sized sedan that looked like pterodactyls with horns where their eyes should have been. Constantine then looked back at Jessie, and then at the others, before yelling over the sounds of explosions in the distance, "we need someplace secure!"

"The pipeline!" Cisco yelled nodding at the STAR Labs building while firing vibrational waves at the creatures that were still coming at them after more pods cracked open.

"STAR labs has been…."

Constantine turned around at the loud roars that came from the STAR Labs building behind them. The ones that were carrying the unconscious bodies of Sarah, Ray, and Amaya scuttled backwards as the ground trembled. More roars came from the building before Constantine turned to Cisco and asked him if he could breach them anywhere in this reality.

"I…. I never tried," Cisco shook his head, "and…"

"Now's the time to try!" Constantine yelled as the ground started to tremble while the roof of building was being sheared apart by four pairs of horn along, "we need a place underground. Large enough for all of us with one entrance! One entrance that I could place a ward around so that nothing detects us!"

"There are people in the city that…."

"It's too late for them," Constantine yelled at Jessie before turning to Cisco, "we need to regroup with a plan so get us out of here!" Constantine then turned back to Jessie and saw the disbelief in her eyes before realizing that he was frightening her. He then gently told the speedster that there was nothing she could do on her own to stem back the tide. He looked over her shoulder at the thousands of monsters that were now falling out of the tears before looking back at Jessie, "we need to come up with a plan. You go out now? You'll be facing something you've never experienced. Never… even I can't stop this." Constantine admitted while rumbling and the sounds of things crashing could be heard from inside STAR Labs, "we need to regroup."

Jessie looked back over her shoulder at the wonton destruction before she turned back to Constantine.

"Cisco!" Thea yelled as she and the others moved away from STAR Labs, "breach us to Oliver's bunker."

"I…." Cisco stuttered. He had breached though dimensions, but the one thing he hadn't done yet was open a breach from one location to another on the same Earth. However, he was soon forced to open a breach a few seconds later to anywhere when part of STAR Labs collapsed as four horned, gigantic, red-skinned, and horned cyclops' thundered out of the building through the falling concrete roof and pylons.

"Cisco!" yelled Caitlin as the creatures roared out loud into the sky before one of them turned towards the group of humans who were dwarfed by the creatures. They looked around and saw that even the creatures from the pods were running away and escaping into the city while Caitlin continued "get us out of here". Her hair turned white and eyes turned blue when one of the Cyclops leaned forwards and roared at them before the other three turned and eyed them before licking their lips. The four creatures then started coming towards them while Cisco turned, put his Vibe Goggles over his eyes, and then concentrated while raising his hands.

In the meantime, wisps of cold air erupted from Caitlin's left hand before she raised it and fired a stream of ice at one of the monsters who screamed and stepped back. Caitlin smiled while she watched ice forming around the surprised creature's chest, but her smile vanished when the ice melted away and the monster smiled before it continued to move towards them. At the same time, Constantine was firing streams of fire at the creatures while Laurel was using her sonic scream to keep the cyclops' at bay.

"Guys!" Cisco yelled as a breach opened, "I think I did it!"

"Move! Move! Move!" Thea yelled before everyone retreated towards the open breach. Caitlin, Laurel, and Constantine were only just able to hold back the Cyclops while the rest exited thorough the breach and ended up in the so-called Arrowcave in Star City, much to the surprise of Oliver and his team who were getting ready to move out. More of the team from Central City poured into the 'Arrowcave', with Cisco being he last after Thea.

Cisco was about to just about to step into the breach when suddenly a blur with orange lightning rushed towards him, grabbed him, and then ran away. Back in Star City, Thea was the last one through the breach before turning around. She expected Cisco to step through after her but he never did… instead, she stared in stunned silence as the breach closed shut. Thea stared at the empty spot with her eyes wide open before she breathed, "Cisco?"

"Watch it all end," a voice said, a familiar voice, as Thea turned around in anger while Oliver, John, and Felicity turned their heads too and stared in stunned silence at Moira Queen standing with a smirk on her face.

"Where is he!" yelled Thea as she rushed at 'Moira' past the stunned Oliver, "where is he!"

"This is the end," Moira said as she transformed to Robert Queen.

"Dad? What…." Oliver finally managed to say before turning to the enraged Thea while Wilddog and the others helped the unconscious Sara, Amaya, and Ray, "how… how…"

"Go out there and fight a useless fight or stay here with our family," Robert said looking at both Oliver and Thea, "don't worry, either way everything will end soon. Very soon."

"We'll find you," Constantine said, "we…."

"You won't," Robert said as he turned into Iris before turning towards Joe, "this was for the best, dad."

"My.. my daughter is dead," Joe shook his head with tears in his eyes.

"It was a few days ago that you convinced yourself I was alive," Iris pouted.

"No daughter of mine would stand by and watch all this happen!" cried Joe while Felicity covered her mouth with both hands in shock at seeing Iris, "my Iris would never have…"

"Where's Cisco?" Jessie interrupted, "where… where…"

"Oh, my Jessie," Wally said staring at Jessie while Constantine rushed to the still stunned Oliver and whispered in his ear before the both of them looked at each other and then rushed up the stairs to the main door. All the while, 'Wally' mocked them by saying that none of them could help Cisco anymore, "I thought there was more time. But the difference in time between this dimension and the other one has become unstable."

"What does that mean? And what dimension? What's everyone talking about?" John demanded.

"Cisco's the Key to break my chains," 'Wally' said with a smirk looking at Thea and then at Jessie, "by the time he opens the doorway, this place will be overrun by darkness and nightmares. Wally will have completed his mission and then… then I will direct Wally to feed on you, Jessie. He will feed on you and your people. All of you will be turned and then…." 'Wally' started to twist and turn while the others stood rooted to the spot in horror as Constantine and Oliver rushed down the stairs and stood with the rest. 'Wally' turned inside out, his flesh and bones now on the outside as Felicity screamed in terror while Oliver rushed over to her.

They all watched as Wally' body melted away to reveal a large demon with horns, clawed fingers, wearing a dark red robe before it screamed, "you will be mine!" The demon then vanished in a flash of light leaving Felicity hugging Oliver while the others just stood in terror staring at the spot where the demon had towered over them.

"Thea, John," Oliver said looking at Thea and Constantine, "I want to know exactly what's going on."

**Central City, now.**

"Buffy, I'm home," Barry said after speeding through the door, down the single hallway, and then into the bed room he shared with Buffy who was putting on a red blouse. Buffy turned around with a worried look on her face as she pulled her blouse down and asked what happened, and why Joyce sounded so worried on the phone. "Something happened in London, Buffy." Barry said as he undressed before walking over to the closet and then putting on a set of new clothes at superspeed and then continued, "apparently someone destroyed the Slayer Council headquarters."

"What?" a stunned Buffy asked as she stared at him while leaning back against the dresser in their room, "you mean… how about Travers? I wasn't fond of that guy but no one deserves to be…"

"I don't know," Barry said as he sat on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes. "Giles simply said that the girls who could become Slayers were in danger. That this was it… this was the apocalypse." Barry could see that Buffy was going to ask more questions, but instead he said that Giles was going to explain everything before saying, "it sounded serious, Buffy."

Buffy stared at Barry with worry as she recalled her dream about the girl murdered in Germany, and then the one murdered in Istanbul. She recalled the dreams of murdered girls she had over the past few nights and a chill went up her spine.

"And… and when I went back to get Giles and another girl," Barry said as he got up off the bed, "I… I saw these people with no eyes. They had some kind of symbol cut into their eyelids." Barry stared at the widening eyes on his wife's face and walked towards her, "just like the dreams you told me about."

Barry held her hand and whispered, "this is you and me, Buffy." Buffy stared into his eyes before looking away. She remembered her dream of Barry laying still after having been defeated by the Reverse Flash. She told herself mentally that if the dreams of girls dying all over the world were true, hen what was going to happen to Barry would come true as well. Buffy then looked back up at Barry as he said, "we'll handle this together."

Buffy nodded her head and then said, "we have to, Barry. If those things that killed the girls are real, then we have to also assume that Thawne is coming too."

"And that's…" Barry leaned in and gave Buffy a peck on her lips before pulling back, "why we asked Willow and Tara to have something ready that'll stop a speedster dead in his tracks." Barry then leaned in to give Buffy's lips another peck before pulling back with a smile, "how about we get going?"

"We'll take the car," Buffy said, "there would be less questions by the girls. And I'm guessing you're hungry?"

"Like you can't imagine," Barry said patting his abdomen, "do you know how much it take for me to regain my energy after running that fast from her to London?"

"So," Buffy arched an eyebrow, "very hungry then?"

"Oh yeah," Barry replied while Buffy chuckled as they walked out of the room, through the hallways, and then past the Livingroom and kitchen to the front door. Closing the door behind them, Buffy and Barry walked over to their car and then, after stopping to buy twelve Doublemeat Medley's from the Doublemeat Palace, they moved on to the Summers family home.

**The Summers family home, twenty minutes later.**

After parking the car, Buffy and Barry walked up the driveway to the steps that led up to the porch. Even then, as they neared the front door, the two could hear voices from the other side of the door. Buffy's enhanced hearing told her the sound was coming from the dining room while Barry knocked on the door. On the second knock, everyone on the other side of the door seemed to quieten down before footsteps could be heard rushing towards the door.

"Hey mom," Buffy said as the door was opened by Joyce. She was soon joined by Dawn as she stepped back smiling while Buffy and then Barry walked in. They stepped into the foyer as Dawn closed the door behind them. From where they were standing, both Barry and Buffy could see over Joyce and Dawn's shoulders that the three young women from London where seated around the dining room table talking to Giles who turned his head and looked up at them.

"Buffy," Giles said getting off his seat and then walking towards the Slayer while the other Potentials, who were eating cookies from the boxes that were on the dining room table, stood up from their seats as well. The three of them followed Giles into the foyer as he hugged the blonde who they had only heard about from Giles when he rescued them. They listened as Giles pulled back from Buffy's hug and said, "something's happened, Buffy. We're waiting for the rest to come but I can tell you that we're all in danger."

Giles then shook Barry's hand; an act for the three Potential Slayers. Giles knows that it was highly likely that Barry already gave Buffy a run down of what happened in London- but the older man still kept up the act for the newcomers. And besides, there were other certain things that Buffy nor Barry knew about… some things that needed to be said when the rest of the Scoobies had arrived. However, Giles could see from Buffy's expression that she was worried, 'she's worried about the danger coming for us all. And she's worried about me'.

And Buffy confirmed just as much when she leaned in and gently punched his arm, "you had us worried, Giles."

"Sorry, Buffy," Giles said with a small smile before stepping to the side and then introducing both Barry and Buffy to Molly, Annabelle, and then Kennedy who gave Buffy a quick look through before saying, "so you're the Slayer?"

"Yep," Buffy said noticing the bit of derision in Kennedy's voice.

"And you?" Kennedy asked Barry, "I mean other than her husband, do you have any special skills?" She then turned to Giles, "and where's the Flash? I mean if someone's going to protect us then I'd have to say that both the Slayer and the Flash would have to…"

"Kennedy," Annabelle said frowning at her fellow Potential, "I'm certain there is a reason why the Flash isn't here." And Annabelle was thinking the same thing as well, but she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. 'There is a reason. He's fast… really fast. And.. well, kind of handsome too.' Annabelle then glanced at Molly who looked as if she was about to answer a question, instead they were all interrupted by Giles.

Giles heard from Buffy about the dreams she had about the murdered girls, and the dream about the Reverse Flash coming and putting Barry out of commission. And that was the thought flowing in his head when he said, "the Flash will not always be there," Giles glanced at Buffy and Barry before looking over at the three Potentials, "he could be disabled. He could be injured. Anything can happen to him considering the darkness we're facing. You may not know Buffy well enough right now, but believe me when I say that she's save this world more times then you three could count."

"You have to trust her," Barry added as he placed his hand on the area where her neck met her shoulders, "she'll protect you guys. And so will the Flash when he can." Buffy looked up at Barry with narrowed eyes wondering what he was saying, "but if something does happen to the Flash before he can do anything, then you all need to trust Buffy." Barry then turned and looked at the three Potentials, "because you will need her."

Buffy looked at her husband with mixed feelings. She knew that the Flash was the best bet they had to beat whatever had gotten Giles so wound up. But then again, she also knew that if the Flash had to come in every time and save them, then the Potentials would depend on him too much. Part of Buffy did not want to depend on the Flash, 'if Barry and I somehow die, then the others need to carry on. One of these girls will become the next Slayer, and they'll have to fight.' She tightened her grip on his hand gently before saying, "whatever's coming, we're all working together without the Flash if we have to."

And just as she finished speaking, there were knocks on the door while with familiar voices speaking to one another. It was Dawn, closest to the front door, who opened it and then grinned at Willow, Tara, Xander, and then nodded at Anya. Dawn then stepped aside as Willow in with Tara and then Xander with Anya before closing the door. It was Barry, while Buffy was talking to Willow and Tara, who noticed Kennedy smirking as she looked up and down Willow's back before being patted on the shoulder by Xander, "what's going on, Barry? We heard about…"

It was then that Xander noticed the newcomers, "ummm… hi?"

Before anyone else could say a word, it was Giles who spoke up, "I believe all of the people we need are right here. Shall we go into the living room?"

And that's where they went. It was in the living room that Buffy at on the armchair while Barry sat on one of the arms. Joyce remained with Dawn and sat on the long couch with Willow beside them and Tara on the carpet leaned sideways against Willow's left leg. Giles was standing in the middle of the room while the Potentials were standing still against the wall with books and folders the Watchers took from the Watcher's council before it was destroyed on the coffee table. Xander and Anya were seated on a love seat leaning forward as they listened to Giles telling them everything he had learned about the First and the Bringers, "we always suspected a day like this would come," Giles fixed his glasses before sighing and shaking his head, "a day when someone or something would extinguish the entire Slayer line by killing Potential Slayers and their Watchers."

"And once all potentials are dead," Buffy whispered while her legs where crossed and she stared at Giles, "then the First would have to guide the Bringers to Faith, and then me."

"And the Slayer line is gone," Tara said with fear in her eyes as she looked at Buffy, and then up at Barry who was looking at the carpet in disbelieve at how bad the situation seemed.

And Tara was right. Barry was worried. He didn't realize how bad it was until now… he didn't realize it when Giles said that it was an apocalypse since the speedster knew that Buffy had faced a few in her life as a Slayer. He knew that Buffy could always rise to the occasion… but this time they were facing an enemy that was eternal- an enemy that, from what Giles described, the ultimate form of evil. The creator of all evil, 'like the devil?' He thought to himself. It was then he recalled the sighting he had of Harrison Wells some time ago, 'Giles said that the First can be any dead person it wants to be. Since Cisco has yet to find me, could it be that the Harrison Wells I saw be the same one that was killed by Thawne?'

And that thought gave Barry a shudder, 'which means that thing can come to us as anyone we love. Even as mom.'

"Buffy," Giles said bringing Barry out of his thoughts, "we're going to be putting a lot of responsibilities on you. And I'm sorry." Buffy frowned and nodded her head while Giles continued, "I've gotten in touch with some friends of ours from the Devon Coven. They'll be informing us of any new Potentials who need help. And once I have that information, we'll talk to the Flash about having them brought here to Sunnydale."

"But if Sunnydale's where the First is having it's Summer vacation," Kennedy chipped in, "then maybe we shouldn't have all the Potentials here."

"I think it's better that all of us stay together," Tara said with Kennedy glancing as her and then at Willow who was rubbing her chin before agreeing with the blonde witch Kennedy rolled her eyes before continuing to say that the three of them should at least have some weapons to defend themselves.

It was then that Annabelle told Kennedy, "the Slayer will decide when it's time for us to handle weapons." Kennedy frowned at the yoga woman before looking over at Buffy, and then at Willow, and finally to Xander and Tara before looking back t o Barry who shrugged his shoulder.

"I saw what those Bringer guys could do, they tore apart my Watcher," Kennedy said shaking her head before looking straight at Buffy, "and honestly, I don't see how one single Slayer could help protect us. This is something big, and we need the Flash to…"

"How about Spike?" asked Joyce looking at everyone who turned back at her while the e Potentials looked at each other and asked amongst themselves "who's Spike?" Buffy knew that Joyce was right- as much as she did not trust Spike, went with his soul and the behaviour modification chip in his brain, Buffy felt that they may need him in the upcoming fight. But in the meantime, she had decided to make a painful decision.

Turning to Dawn and back to her mother, Buffy nodded her head before saying, "we may need Spike." Turning to Barry, Buffy said, "most of all, I need you, Barry. For what's coming, I need you."

"You have me," Barry whispered before gently kissing the side of Buffy's head. Barry knew what she was talking about- that while the Flash would be needed to help recover the Potential Slayers all over the world, Buffy needed Barry Allen to be there for her; to be her rock. Barry then pulled back, looked into Buffy's eyes for a few seconds before looking up at Joyce and Dawn, "maybe we should get you and Dawn out of here."

"No," Dawn shook her head crossing her arms over her chest.

"No," Joyce agreed with her younger daughter before saying, "we stay together. All of us."

"Joyce, I have to agree with Barry." Giles said.

"Mom, Dawnie," Buffy implored getting off the armchair and then towards the two of them seated across, "please, I need you to…"

"We're not leaving you, Buffy," Dawn said with an expression that told the blonde Slayer to stop asking them to leave town because it was never going to happen. Buffy then turned to Joyce while crouching down as she reached for and gently grasped the older blonde's hands.

"I'm staying here, honey," Joyce simply said defiantly, "I'm not going anywhere."

Buffy gave her mother and then her sister a small smile before she nodded her head. Standing back up onto her feet, Buffy turned to the Potentials and said, "alright, we should talk about where you're all gonna stay."

"But for right now," said Xander with his hands in his pockets, "how about lunch? And then we deal with what's coming next."

TBC.


	29. Chapter 29

**Central Meats, Sunnydale, forty minutes later.**

Andrew's hands were slightly shaking as he stood at the counter waiting for his order of raw meat and four bags of pig's blood. While he waited, conscious of the people in line next to him submitted their order, he recalled the events of the previous night. It was in the basement of Sunnydale High, that he murdered his friend, Jonathan, in a large room where the both of them had been digging a wide hole. They stopped only upon reaching a metal cover that was etched with a pentagram and a head of a goat.

Then, with piles of dirt all around them, Andrew was convinced by what he thought was the ghost of Warren Mears to kill Jonathan so that the blood pouring out of the latter's body would open the Seal of Danzabar, the metal cover which led to the inside of the Hellmouth. Andrew was convinced by 'Warren' that by killing Jonathan, he would become a god alongside 'Warren'. However, what he didn't know was that Jonathan was anaemic, - the latter's body didn't have that much blood to begin with. Andrew remembered the disappointed on 'Warren's' face as the two of them stared at the thin layer of blood that covered only half of the cover.

"We'll take another approach," the pseudo-Warren deadpanned staring at the dead body with his arms over his chest while Andrew could only look on.

After the body was moved aside, Andrew washed off the literally blood on his hands before he went out and bought a baby pig in order to kill it. However, the killing of the pig took on a ridiculous turn when he, in fact, couldn't even kill it- or rather he could not catch it to slaughter it. Instead the pig managed to escape.

And that failure led Andrew the next day to the butcher where he was supposed to collect his order. Once his order was called, Andrew reached over the counter and grabbed the two bags, one full of meat and the other full of packets of blood. He breathed a sigh of relief that no one had asked any questions about the need for so much blood, 'and I'm lucky that I haven't encountered Buffy and the others' Andrew then scrunched the top of the bags as he gripped them tight and shook his head, 'no, don't jinx it. Go back to the school and then use the blood.' Andrew managed a smile as he turned towards the door with his bags in hand. He heard the door chime go off as he approached the only entry way, and the smile on his face was instantly wiped off.

"Oh… I…" Andrew's voice trailed off upon meeting Barry, Willow, and Tara's eyes- the three of them staring at him as if trying to put a name to his face. However, it was Barry who had the realization- particularly since Willow and Tara hadn't met him before. And Andrew's arms stared to trembling while grasping the bags in his hands as Barry's eyes narrowed in recognition and anger.

"You," Barry hissed while both Willow and Tara looked at Barry, a very angry Barry, and then at Andrew.

"Barry?" Willow asked, "you know this guy?"

"Yea," Barry replied before stepping aside so that another customer could exit the ship, "this is one of the guys who hurt Buffy."

"Oh," Willow replied while Tara turned towards Andrew with a frown on her face. And soon, Willow glared at him as well before adding, "he's the one who used magic to take control of Buffy?"

"And used her to hurt us," Tara added before looking at the angry Barry, "and to beat you?"

"That's the guy," Barry hissed glaring down at Andrew as he took a step forward, "one of them at least."

Andrew gulped before dropping the bags on the floor, the smaller bags of blood spilling out of the larger bag and onto the floor. He bumped past Barry while the latter, Willow and Tara stared in surprise at the packs of blood before looking up at each other.

"Now what is that guy up to," Willow frowned turning to stare out the glass door and then through the storefront window as the terrified Andrew ran down the street. She still remembered the nightmare Andrew, Jonathan, and Warren put Buffy through when they used magic to take over her body. Warren was going to use her, but not before she was used to nearly kill Barry as the Flash. Willow turned to see the frown on Barry's face before he rushed out the door, followed by Tara and herself. Using his superspeed, Barry caught up to the young man in a second, stopped before grabbing the back of his collar, and then yanked him backwards. Andrew stumbled back while still keeping his footing while hearing a female voice yell, "the alley, Barry." Andrew them felt himself being pushed into an alleyway before being grabbed by an angry Barry and then pushed back into a wall.

"You," Barry growled as he pushed Andrew against a wall again while Willow and Tara came up to and then stood on either side of Barry, while he stared down the young man, "what are you doing back in Sunnydale?"

"I… I… I…" stuttered Andrew as his eyes shifted from each body in front of him to the other. He was sure of the very possibility he would meet Buffy, Barry, or one of the other scoobies upon returning to Sunnydale. 'You were prepared for this' he thought to himself. But, as sweat beaded on his forehead, Andrew knew he really wasn't prepared for this. He wasn't prepared for a confrontation with the Flash and two witches. After shooting Warren, Andrew and Jonathan left Sunnydale for a small city in Mexico.. however it was recently that the ghost of Warren haunted him. The ghost that pushed him to return to Sunnydale and kill Jonathan for a play at godhood, 'was it a lie?'

"Either you talk fast," Barry growled remembering what the boy and his friends did to Buffy and what they made her do to him, "or I swear I'm leaving you on an isolated island."

"I say you leave him there anyway," Willow growled with her hands on her hips as she recalled the sight of the badly injured Barry and the crying Buffy who helped Giles bring in the unconscious speedster, "the only reason he's still here is because he's up to no good."

"Barry, let's see what he has to say first," Tara said, her eyes focused on Andrew.

"It wasn't my idea," Andrew said waving his arms around and shaking his head, "it wasn't my idea to take over Buffy's mind and…"

"And you still let it happen," growled Barry leaning forward. Willow and Tara could feel the anger coming off the Speedster before their gaze shifted to Andrew- it was an anger they hadn't seen from him before. Tara placed a hand on Barry's shoulder and gently squeezed.

Tara then gently said, while staring at Andrew, "so, why are you here?" Andrew could see arcs of yellow lighting brushing against Barry's eyes before he put his hands up. And then looked at Tara, then Willow, and back to Barry who repeated Tara's question.

"I… I… I killed Jonathan and…. I… I did it for Warren because he said spilling Jonathan's blood over the Seal would make me a god and we'd rule over…."

Willow had known Jonathan ever since they were in high school together. They weren't the best of friends, but they weren't enemies either. So, after the incident with Buffy, Barry, and the Trio, the redhead had been surprised upon learning he was part of this Trio of villains who took over Buffy's mind. 'And now he's dead.'

"You killed him?" Willow asked while Tara looked on. Andrew looked away before nodding his head.

Tara frowned before telling Barry and Willow that they had to bring him back to the Summers home where they could question him, "privately," she clarified while looking out at the people passing them by before turning back towards Barry, "without anyone trying to ask us questions".

Barry frowned at the young man in front of him before nodding his head. Barry turned his head to Willow and Tara, "will the both of you get the stuff for dinner?"

"We'll get the stuff and then drive home," Tara nodded her head.

"Stuff?" Andrew asked, his eyes wide open while his stomach rumbled, "you were going to the butcher's so… oh, are you guys doing something special for dinner or… oh, you know what, I'm kinda hungry, and…"

"Wait for us before you and Buffy hurt him," Willow said.

"Barry, don't hurt him," Tara countered while Willow crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at Andrew.

Barry nodded his head and, before Andrew could finish anything else he was going to say, everything was a blur to the young man as Barry ran at superspeed back to the Summer family home. Upon reaching the porch, Barry stopped and let go of Andrew who rushed to the wooden railing and was about wretch the contents of whatever little he ate last night down to the daisies planted below. However, he didn't… instead he panted and then turned back to the murderous glare on Barry face.. the very same Barry who strode up to him.

"Any word of my secret to the girls inside, and I will show you how it feels to have your body grind against asphalt while I'm running at the speed of light," Barry hissed while grabbing the front of Andrew's shirt, "just one word that Barry Allen is the Flash, and then you'll know. Understand?"

"Yes," Andrew gulped nodding his head.

"Just.. just one question," Andrew stuttered.

Barry locked his jaw before saying, "what?"

"What girls?"

Barry frowned at the young man after he asked the question. He grabbed the scruff of Andrew's collar before pulling him towards the door, taking out his keys, and then unlocking the front door. Swinging it open, Barry and Andrew heard voices from the living room and the kitchen, 'Buffy, Xander, and Giles are in the living room.'

"Buffy!" Barry exclaimed after pushing Andrew into the foyer and then stepping inside to a stunned Buffy staring at Andrew.

"Andrew," hissed Buffy in anger as she got up from the couch where she and Xander were watching TV with Anya, "you have some nerve coming back to Sunnydale."

Barry closed the front door as Xander having heard Andrew's name escape Buffy's lips, stopped laughing from whatever joke it was that he told Giles before Buffy called out the name of the young man who took over her mind. Xander stared at the newcomer as he stood up from sitting on the couch. Xander's lips were pressing together at Andrew who nervously chuckled before waving his hand.

"Well? What the hell are you doing back in Sunnydale?" Buffy growled as she strode towards Andrew who took a few steps back before he bumped into Barry.

"You have much to answer for," Giles said standing up from the couch and walking up next to Xander, the both of them behind Buffy. In the meantime, Andrew was mumbling that he had made a mistake and just wanted to leave Sunnydale again. But it was Buffy who once again demanded to know, in a raised voice, why Andrew had returned to Sunnydale. At hearing the commotion from the foyer, Joyce and the others from the kitchen rushed to the foyer where they saw the nervous Andrew.

"Buffy? Barry?" asked Joyce while Dawn stared at Andrew, as did the Potentials, "who's this?"

"Andrew, the guy who… you know," Barry said staring at Joyce without any further explanations due to the presence of the Potentials. However, that was all it took for Dawn to glare at Andrew after realizing what Buffy meant while Giles and Joyce crossed their arms over their chests.

"Put him in the basement with Spike," Giles said taking off his glasses and rubbing the lens, all while glaring at Andrew whose eyes were shifting nervously between each and everyone staring back at him.

"Ummmm," Andrew nervously gulped before he turned to Buffy, "Again, I swear I had nothing to do with hurting you, and…"

At hearing that, the Potentials turned to Buffy with curious expressions on their faces. They were wondering what the nervous young man could have done to hurt a Slayer. Kennedy was about to ask that very question when an angry Dawn brushed past them all and grabbed Andrew by the shoulder.

"Why are you back in Sunnydale?" she hissed with eyes narrowed, "you really have the nerve to come back here? Seriously?"

"He had bags of blood with him when we met in the butcher shop," Barry said standing next to the glaring Buffy, "there I no good reason why anyone would need that many bags of blood."

"Perhaps we need to talk in private?" Giles said turning to Buffy who then sighed before shaking her head and shifting her eyes towards the potentials, and then back to Giles.

She shook her head, "no, the Potentials…"

"Potentials?" Andrew asked confused as he turned towards the girls and managed a small smile before turning back to Xander, who was holding onto his shoulder, and then to Buffy, "what's a Potential?"

"We're Slayers in waiting," Molly said before Andrew had a look of surprise on his face.

"Anyway," Barry interjected before the conversation on the Potentials could go any further, "why are you back here?"

"So do they know about you too?" Andrew asked with a look of curiosity at Barry, "they know you are.."

"Why are you here?" hissed Buffy stepping forward before Andrew could ask if the Potentials knew he was the Flash. She grabbed Andrew by the collar and then lifted him up with her right hand. Andrew's eyes were widened in sudden panic as his legs flailed out while his hands grabbed Buffy's right wrist, "talk. Now!" Buffy then dropped him onto the floor and stepped back with her arms now crossed over her chest, "well?"

Kennedy and the other Potentials glanced at Barry, wondering what the secret was that Buffy needed to keep silent. But their attention turned back to the surrounded Andrew just as Spike, who was in the kitchen drinking a mug of cow's blood, walked in on the situation after hearing the commotion.

"Buffy?" Spike asked before laying his eyes on Andrew. He looked at the young man curiously before realization hit and he nodded his head, "right, one of the tech guys. You were a friend of the guy who built me the Buffybot."

"I… ummm… I…" Andrew stuttered while Kennedy looked over at the other Potentials and mouthed silently, 'BuffyBot?'

Buffy turned back to Spike, "not a good time, Spike" and then back to Andrew while Spike walked past them all and stood just behind Buffy. It was then that Anya stepped closer to Spike, leaned sideways and whispered that Andrew was one of the people who had taken control of Buffy and tried to use for various activities. Spike frowned at the word 'activities' while Xander groaned before telling Anya she gave out too much information. Spike then looked back at Anya who replied she hadn't given out too much information before Buffy said it didn't matter.

"Why are you back here?" Buffy asked once again, turning her attention away from Anya. She and the others then listened to the reason for Andrew returning to Sunnydale- he told them of how he and Jonathan left the United States for Mexico, before going on to explain how, a few weeks ago, the ghost of Warren Mears appeared only himself. They listened as he told them about how he was promised godhood, and the only way was to help the ghost Warren gain physical form.

Andrew then whimpered while telling them how he drove the dagger into Jonathan's abdomen, about how the body falling back onto the metallic cover at the bottom of the hole they had dug up.

"But Jonathan didn't have enough blood. Warren then said that I could try to kill a pig, and… well… that wasn't very successful. And then I knew I had to buy the blood from the butcher's shop and.. yeah.. that's when you guys found me." Andrew then nervously glanced at Xander staring at him, and then turned his head forward to Buffy and the others, "so.. I promise not to come back anymore and… well… maybe you could let me go?"

"Tie him up until I figure out what to do with him," Buffy glared at the young man. As Xander dragged him away, Barry placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder and whispered something into her ear. Buffy turned her head towards her husband and nodded her head before asking Giles and Joyce to join the two of them out in the backyard. Buffy then turned to Anya and Dawn, "let's get the Potentials some place to sleep."

**Backyard, Summers residence.**

"Buffy," Barry said after he, Buffy, Joyce, and Giles walked out into the backyard while Xander and Spike were tying Andrew onto a chair in the in the living room, "we should hand him over to the police." Despite his anger at what Andrew's contribution to Buffy's suffering, he felt that Andrew should also be held responsible for Jonathan's murder.

Buffy snapped her head towards him with an angry look on her face, but Barry continued, "he's admitted to what he's done, and it's time that the authorities deal with him."

"Buffy," Joyce said, her eyes shifting between Barry and Buffy, "Barry's right. He's not a demon or anything supernatural." Joyce could see that Buffy was about to say something as Barry reached out and held the Slayer's hand tightly, "he should pay for what he did to you. But you can't kill him, and we can't keep him with us as a prisoner."

"He already admitted to murdering Jonathan," Giles said as Buffy turned towards the watcher while he continued, "but then again, the ghost of Warren he mentioned seeing could be a manifestation of the First Evil. And if the First had hm kill his friend, then there's' no saying what may happen if we leave him in the hands of the police."

Buffy then sighed before putting her hand up to indicate that she wanted to continue before anyone else spoke, "I'm angry at him. I admit that." Buffy then looked over at Barry and added, "I remember what he and his friends did to me and what they made me do." Barry leaned forward and kissed her forehead while the both of them recalled Buffy being under the thrall of the Trio- and the Slayer savagely beating Barry under Warren's orders.

Buffy knew that Warren was the main antagonist.. the one who gave the order to beat Barry… but she still couldn't forgive Andrew and Jonathan for their part in helping to develop the spell.

Buffy then sighed before continuing, "I know he's human and should be handed over to the police." She then turned away from Barry to look at the others, "but what they did to me was based on something supernatural. And yeah, Andrew killed Jonathan… but it was the First who gave that order." Buffty then continued by saying that Andrew was still a danger to others since he was willing to kill despite knowing Warren was a ghost, "and then we have the Bringers. If he's important to the First, then it will order the Bringers to attack anyone protecting him. He stays with us, the we can protect him while getting some intel on what the First wants to do."

"Following that logic, the Bringer's will be attacking us," Joyce said with a hint of worry on her face.

"And we can't place the Potential Slayers in danger," Giles added before saying, "no matter how much I belief you are correct, Buffy, we cannot put them in danger."

"Then we keep him with us," Buffy said looking at Barry before continuing, "I feel it in my gut that he's dangerous. If we let him go, he'll do something on the First's orders. And if we hand him over to the police, then the Bringers will get him out by any means necessary."

"Buff…"

"We keep him in our apartment, Barry, and…."

"Buffy!" a scream echoed out of the house just before Buffy could continue.

"Dawn," Joyce and Buffy whispered turning back towards the house at the terrified yell.

"Dawn!" Buffy yelled as she and Barry rushed towards the house while Giles held back Joyce. Just as the two of them reached the stairs, they could hear the other girls screaming from inside the kitchen behind the closed door as pot and pans were seemingly being thrown every which way. Suddenly there was a thud at the door before it was forced open by Xander who tumbled down on the wooden deck. Barry glanced at the injuries on the fallen young man before he turned to see Buffy leaping at Spike who was in Vampire mode. Barry saw her fighting the vampire while he rushed in and skipped around the fighting to get to Dawn and the other Potentials in the dining room.

"Get out of here, now!" he yelled out while he and Anya ushered the girls out. Once they were out in the porch, Anya and Barry closed the front door behind them before rushing back to the kitchen where Buffy was standing over the unconscious Spike with a dented frying pan in her hand. Panting, she dropped the flying pan unceremoniously next to the unconscious Spike before she looked up at Barry who sighed in relief.

"Xander," Anya whispered before rushing past Barry and then Buffy. The two of them followed a second later to the deck outside. They found a groaning Xander lying on his back while Joyce tended to him. Barry stared at the injured Xander before looking back at the mess in the kitchen before staring down at Spike's unconscious body. He then opened his eyes wide in realization before he zipped down to the living room where Andrew was supposed to have been tied up, and then back to the deck overlooking the back yard.

"Andrew's dead," Barry frowned as Buffy and the others looked back at him before they stared back at the unconscious Spike.

"What happened?" Buffy asked, her head turning back towards Anya who was assigned to watched over Dawn and the Potentials- to keep them safe while Andrew was tied down.

TBC.


End file.
